Mysteries of the Heart
by White Water Demon
Summary: ZimXOC When a new girl arrives at Hi Skool, Zim tries to use her to further his conquest of Earth. Meanwhile, a war starts between the Irkens and Meekrobs for possession of the universe. Also a secret involving Zim's past may be the key to either the Irken's victory or defeat. Rated M for language, violence and lemon. I don't own IZ.
1. It Begins

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I know the whole "Hi Skool thing is over used but I didn't want some of the things that happen in the story to happen to a bunch of ten year olds. If people message me about it, I might write a lemon in later chapters.**

**Anyway, Zim (Looks 18) is in his senior year of Hi Skool along with Dib (Age 18) and Gaz (Age 17) is a junior. My OC named Rayne (Age 18) is also a senior. Thoughts are **_**italicized**_**. **

"We know Zim, but it is important that you get more information on the humans before we can arrive with the armada." Tallest Red explained.

"But my Tallest, I've been on this _discussing_ planet for eight earth years. Don't you think that I, ZIM, have been here long enough to gather enough information on the humans for the armada to easily take over?" Zim questioned; his crimson eyes distorted into a look of disappointment.

The Tallest seemed to be in thought. It has taken him years to get them to finally listen to him; his new, staggering height of 5'10'' helped with that. Although he is not sure what brought up the growth spurt; but whether it was natural or because of being on Earth for so long did not matter to the Tallest. Not only that, but Zim has also become more mature and sensible over the years. Though he did, still, have his childish outbursts on occasions. Tallest Purple cleared his throat, breaking Zim out of his thoughts.

"Zim, we know that it has been a long time but we still need better knowledge on the weaknesses of their species." His tone was more serious than his usual, uncaring tone he always possessed while speaking with the young Irken.

Zim let out a subtle sigh of frustration, he hated being on this planet and wanted to be done with the mission so he could finally return home to Irk. Over the years he became home sick, feeling slightly lonely for the first time in his life. Sure, his loyal companion, Gir, was there to keep him company, but wasn't fit for a healthy, intelligent conversation. Zim composed himself once more before speaking again, trying to break himself of the habit of getting easily irritated.

"What do you suggest that I do?" He asked. The Tallest turned away for a moment to speak with each other, occasionally nodding their heads in agreement with their co-Tallest's ideas before finally returning their gaze to Zim.

"We have decided that the best course of action is to capture a human for questioning." Tallest Red stated, smirking at their ingenious plan.

"Although, we would suggest a human whose absents would go unnoticed if they were to disappear for large amounts of time." Tallest Purple added.

"Then I have much work to do. I will report back once I have found a suitable_ human_." Zim announced, spitting out the last word with as much disgust as possible; and with that the Tallest's screen went black.

"Should we have told him?" Asked Purple. "No, he doesn't need to know right now. However, I NEVER thought we would ever have to tell him. I always thought he was a defective unworthy of such a privilege." Replied Red, turning towards his colleague.

"I know what you mean, I mean, who would have thought he would actually start to become useful." Purple snickered.

They both laughed, bringing back memories of Zim when he first went to Earth. It was astonishing, the amount he had grown over the years; coming closer to their height of six feet.

"I guess it is understandable, considering he's-" Before Purple could finish, a tall, orange eyed Irken guard ran into the room.

"My Tallest, we have an emergency! We need you back up on the Bridge!" He exclaimed. The two leaders looked at each other before rushing out of the room, following the guard back towards the control room.

Zim paced the floor of his lab, thinking about what the Tallest had said. Although he was grateful that they were now taking him seriously, he was still angry at the fact that not only did he have to stay here longer, but Zim also had to find a human that fit the profile that the Tallest suggested.

"Computer, bring up the bios of all the students at that horrible learning facility." He commanded.

"Yes, sir."

It took only a matter of seconds before all the students profiles were brought up onto the screen. _There has to be someone who lives alone by now._ Most humans, as Zim has come to find out, usually started living on their own at this age, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one that was. As if the universe decided to work against him, there was no child listed that didn't either still live with their parents, or live with a so called 'roommate'.

"Damn!" He cursed, slamming my fist down on the controls.

Zim looked over at the clock to see that it was 7:35 AM; class started at 8:00. He grasped the microphone next to the keyboard. "GIR!" He called. "Yes?" Gir squeaked, poking his head from a vent in the floor.

"I'm going to the human learning facility; do not touch anything while I'm gone. Do you understand?"

He stared at his master for a second before running out of the room screaming something about a beaver. Shaking his head, Zim grabbed his disguise off of a lab table and threw it on, unenthusiastically. About two years ago, he decided that it needed some work to help blend in more so his old wig was replaced with a style that he has seen many human males use; short and more spiky. Zim also started to wear an assortment of human clothes. Usually it was, either, a black or red shirt and a pair of jeans; although he had to modify the shirts to account for his PAK. Zim exited his base and slowly walked to Hi Skool; he hated going and having to be surrounded by the dirt beasts that plagued the pathetic planet. After a few years he got used to it, but he tried to skip it as much as possible.

"Hey, Zim" Yelled a voice that Zim was accustom to hearing every day; more so then he had wished.


	2. Rayne

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Message me if you guys want a lemon in later chapters. Also, if I do put up a lemon, I will give warning so people can skip it if they want. So please, DO NOT FLAG ME! Just throwing that out there. I'll try to update this as much as possible but I have college, so I have a lot to do. **

**Chapter 2**

Dib came walking up behind Zim, along with his frightening little sister who was playing her Game Slave 5, paying no attention to the two. Dib jumped in front of him with a hard glare plastered on his abnormally large head. Zim looked up at him, angry that Dib had grown an inch taller than him.

"What do you want Dib-filth." He grimaced, venom dripping from his words.

"Oh nothing, just wanted to give you something."

Before he could react, Dib pulled out a water gun and shot it directly at Zim's face. He jumped to the side, barely dodging the acidic liquid and started running down the street towards the school; cursing himself for forgetting to apply paste to himself this morning. Lucky for Zim, he was faster than Dib and was able to make it to the school and lose him in the crowded halls. Dib had given up on trying to expose Zim to the other students years ago, knowing perfectly well that no one believed him. So he started focusing all his energy on just trying to thwart his plans for world conquest, making him a bigger pain for Zim.

Zim got to his locker and grabbed the book for his first class of the day: Math. He hated the class because of its lack of a challenge. The class taught the basics of math that Zim learned in his first year of life back on Irk. The teachers called him their 'star pupil' and they wished the other students did as well as he did. As much as Zim loved hearing how great he was, the fact of having the highest grades in the class was trivial to him. He shut his locker and headed to the classroom, muttering to himself on how much he despised being at school. _Why does the first class have to be this painfully simple? No wonder the humans are so behind in their technological advance._ He walked in the class and took his seat closest to the door. For some odd reason, Zim always seemed to be seated near the door. He shrugged the thought off and waited for the teacher to arrive.

As he sat there, the other students started to fill the seats in the classroom. The last one in was Dib, giving Zim an angry stare as he passed and took his seat, surprisingly in the same seat that he has been in every year: next to the window. Zim glared back and smirked, mouthing '_I win'_ to him; he just glared harder and was about to say something, but was interrupted by the teacher walking in.

"Good morning, class!" She smiled. This teacher, Ms. Hampton as we call her, was the exact opposite of Zim's old teacher, Ms. Bitters; she was happy all the time and talked about how wonderful life was. If he had to choose, Zim would rather have Ms. Bitters. Every time Ms. Hampton spoke about happiness, He felt like he was going to be sick.

"I have a surprise for you!" She beamed. "We have a new student today, so give her a warm welcome." She turned and opened the door and there stood a girl with wavy, shoulder length brown hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a semi-low cut, blue t-shirt and slimming jeans that showed off her figure. Zim had to admit that even for a human, she was quite stunning. _Wait, what did I just think?_ The hormone driven males in the class stared at her, letting out small gasps. Judging from their reactions, Zim would say that she was a more desired human female than most.

"Hello, my name is Rayne; nice to meet you all." Her voice was soft and pleasant, unlike many of the noisy children.

"Take your seat in the middle seat two rows back, dear." Ms. Hampton pointed at the desk in the middle of the classroom. She walked over to the desk and took her seat.

Rayne sat down and glanced around the room at her new classmates. She never was an extremely social person but she thought making a few friends never hurt anyone. Her gaze rested on a boy with glasses and jet black hair with a scythe at the top. He glanced back at her then away again in embarrassment, causing Rayne to laugh to herself as her eyes continued to wander around the room. Finally, her eyes rested on a boy with green skin. _That's different, _she thought to herself; and, just like the boy with glasses, he also glanced back at her. Although, instead of turning away from embarrassment, he continued to stare at her with light violet eyes and seemed to be in thought. Before Rayne could say anything, he glared at her and turned back around towards the front of the class. _I wonder what his problem is. _ She opened her notebook and started drawing all over the page, as she normally did when she was bored.

After an hour of the teacher's lecturing, the bell rang and Zim closed his notebook and headed for his next class, which was world history. He knew this was going to be a long day as he sat through the class, twiddling with his pencil until the lunch bell rang. He took his time while making his way to the cafeteria. No point in rushing if he wasn't ever going to eat the poor excuse of nutrients that they called food here in the school. He arrived in the cafeteria and took his regular seat at the corner table, away from the humans.

Rayne grabbed her lunch bag off her desk and headed for the cafeteria. She could see that each table seated a specific social group, like always. It was easy to recognize all the groups: the jocks, the preps, the popular girls and the geeks. Though she never felt she belonged with any of the groups and usually sat either by herself or with a few close friends. She scanned the room for an empty seat when she spotted the green kid, sitting alone in the corner writing something in his notebook. _This is a good opportunity to possibly make a friend._ She walked over to his table and stood over him until he finally looked up at her.

"May I sit here?" She asked. Normally Zim would have declined and shooed her away; but he was too preoccupied by his plans to really care. He nodded and Rayne took a seat in front of him.

"My name's Rayne, what's yours?" She asked but Zim was not paying any attention to her. Rayne got a little frustrated; she hated being flat-out ignored after he let her sit there.

"Hello?" She called out, waving her hand in front of his face.

"What, what do you want, Human-stink?" He leaned back in his chair, out of reach and glared.

Ignoring the comment, Rayne continued. "I asked what your name was." She stated, calmly, not wanting to seem unkind. He blinked in confusion for a second before answering. "I'm the ALMIGHTY ZIM!" He shouted. Some old habits die hard, but the other students just ignored him; being used to his antics.

"You don't need to shout, and it's nice to meet you." Rayne replied, holding out her hand. Zim just stared at her hand, not being used to people approaching him in a friendly way. Not bothering to acknowledge her friendly gesture, he spotted her lunch bag. "What is that?" He pointed at the brown bag.

"Oh, I brought my own lunch. I'm smart enough to know that every school serves the same slop and I try to avoid it." She answered. She was surprised she was even able to answer, since she was staring at his green skin.

"What are you staring at, human?" Zim growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rayne said, waving her hands in front of her, defensively. "I didn't mean to, I just was wondering why your skin was that color. I didn't mean to offend you." She really was worried that she offended him; she didn't want to make enemies on her first day. Zim's expression softened before turning back to his notebook. "It's a skin condition." He answered with a bored tone. He has had to explain that all the time and he was used to it. Before Rayne could apologize further, the boy with glasses stood over Zim.

"Why is the new girl sitting with you? Are you controlling her with some sort of alien mind control device?" The boy scowled; Zim stood up. "I have done nothing of the sort, Dib-stink!" He growled. _So his name must be Dib; great, I walked right into some kind of rivalry. _Rayne thought. Dib looked toward her.

"You shouldn't be sitting with this alien." He explained.

"What?" Rayne questioned. "He's a foreign exchange student?"

"No, I mean a real space alien that wants to take over Earth." Dib yelled. Rayne raised an eyebrow; she loved the paranormal but also had the common sense to need proof before jumping to conclusions.

"He LIES; I am just a normal human like everyone else!" Zim yelled. _Why does everyone have to yell?_ Rayne pondered. Dib glared at Zim before turning back to Rayne.

"Since you're new, I thought I'd warn you about that monster." He said.

"Do you have any proof?" Rayne asked.

"I-" But, before he could continue, an apple was thrown at the back of his head. "Ow." He whimpered and turned to see a purple haired girl standing there, rather annoyed.

"You're too loud." She spat.

"Why did you have to throw that at me, Gaz?" Dib whined.

She turned away from him and towards Rayne. "Ignore my brother; he's just a big-headed idiot."

"My head's not big, stop saying that!" Dib shouted.

"Come on Dib, you've spread enough weirdness for one lifetime." She said, grabbing his collar and dragging him away while he protested. Zim snickered as Dib was dragged away by his scary, younger sister. _It serves the pitiful human right for trying to expose me again._ He thought. Just then, the bell rang and it was time for his biology class.

As he stood up, Rayne spoke again. "What classes do you have next?"

He looked at her, suspiciously. "Biology then English, why?"

"I have English last, too. Maybe we could sit with each other." She smiled. Zim groaned quietly to himself.

"I would rather not." And with that, he walked off.

"What's his problem?" Rayne asked herself, then grabbed her belongings and headed for her next class.


	3. Trouble brewing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I have some free time so I started to work on later chapters. I haven't edited them yet but I will try to post one or two a day. Oh, I'm so excited to have you guys read more. I know Zim is a A**hole right now but that's because he still thinks humans are scum. **

**Remember to review, I love hearing what you guys have to say. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 3**

**Meanwhile, back on the Massive…**

The Tallest arrived in the control room. "What is the emergency?" Red demanded.

"Sirs, the Meekrobs are attacking the fleet, they have declared war! They have already taken out Squadron twelve and thirteen." The officer answered. This was bad; most of their best troops were off on their invasion assignments. Purple turned to Red. "Shit, we have to call all the invaders back from their missions immediately." Purple said.

"I agree. Captain, send out a message stating that all invaders are to report to the Massive at once!" Red ordered.

"Sir, the Meekrobs are jamming our long range transmission; we can't send the message!" He announced. The Tallest looked at each other with grim faces. This has never happened before, so they were unsure of what the contingency plan was. Then Purple got an idea and turned to the officer. "Locate the closest invader and send one of your men to their location. You will transmit the message from there." He ordered. Red looked at Purple, impressed with his idea then nodded at the officer, who bowed and left the room.

"May Irk hope that they get the message in time." Red solemnly prayed, looking out the window at the battle that had appeared so suddenly. They knew what the Meekrobs were capable of. If they succeeded they would wipe out everything, without mercy or regrets. The officer re-entered the room. "My Tallest, the closest invader is Invader Stink and it will take about a month to get there." He stated.

"Good, tell one of your soldiers to leave immediately." Red ordered.

"Yes, sir." With that, he ran out of the room once more.

"Let's hope we can last that long." Commented Purple and Red nodded.

The day seemed to stretch out endlessly as Zim sat in his English class. English was his worst class; the human's written language was so different than the Irken's. not only that, but the new girl, Rayne, ended up sitting next to him anyway, thanks to the teacher. Zim wasn't sure what bothered him so much about the girl, but when she glanced at him every once in a while, it felt that her gaze would ignite his skin into flames. When the bell finally rang, Zim was the first one up.

"Don't forget that if you want your class rings, you need a parent's signature." Announced Mr. Miller. Zim couldn't care less about the worthless trinket and didn't bother with planning on forging his 'parent's' signature.

"Uh, Mr. Miller, may I speak with you about that after class?" Rayne asked. The teacher nodded and excused the other students while Rayne stayed behind. Zim's locker was right outside the classroom, so when he went to store his books in it, he overheard the conversation Rayne was having. Normal humans wouldn't have been able to hear them, but Zim's antennae were easily able to pick up on every word and frankly, he was glad that he did.

"I was wondering if the signature was mandatory to get our class rings." Rayne explained

"Yes, they are mandatory, why?" Mr. Miller asked.

"Um, well you see, I live alone and won't be able to get the signature." She stated, sounding a bit grim.

"Well I'm sure you could call up your folks and-"

"No, you don't understand." Rayne interrupted. "I don't have any parents." She paused before continuing. "They passed away two years ago in car accident." She said, sounding like she was holding back tears.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring back bad memories." Mr. Miller apologized. "So how do you get by?" He asked.

"My parents were renowned scientists, so they had a lot of money saved up. It will last me until after high school and then I will get a job." She explained. Zim smiled, he had heard enough. _It looks like I have found my human slave_. With that he ran out of the school and back to his lab so he could plan his next step.

As Rayne walked home, she thought about what happened at lunch. How Dib had said Zim was an alien and how he was hell bent on world domination. She looked up and saw Dib running down the street with what looked like a duffle bag. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she followed him to a cul-de-sac and saw him jump behind a bush. Rayne walked over to the bush and tapped his shoulder, causing Dib to leap up in surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. What are you doing in a bush?" She looked at his hand seeing a pair of binoculars. Her first thought was that he was a peeping tom but that idea was thrown out when he spoke.

"Oh, Rayne, I was just spying on Zim. He is up to something, I just know it." He said while looking through the binoculars at an odd looking, green house at the end of the street.

"That's a very bizarre house." She said without realizing.

"That's the alien's house." Dib stated.

"Alright, so his house is a bit strange but that doesn't prove he is an alien." She argued. Dib gave a look of 'do-you-think-I'm-stupid'.

"I know that, I have other things that prove he is an alien, but no one seems to really care." He scowled. "Like the fact that he has green skin and no ears should be a dead giveaway."

"But, that's just a skin conditions, right?" Rayne sat beside Dib, wondering if what he was saying was true.

"And you actually believed that?" Dib said, not believing what she was saying.

"Okay, so let's just say he is an alien. How do you know; I mean have you seen him as one?" Rayne was starting to become intrigued, the thought of there being an actually alien sitting next to her in class excited her.

"Of course I've seen him; he's got big red eyes and antennae on his head, under that wig. To be honest, his disguise sucks but nobody seems to notice." He began, happy that she was the first person to take an interest in what he was saying.

Rayne looked at the house and back at him. "Do you have any pictures of him without his disguise?"

Dib looked up, his face beaming with excitement. "I don't have them with me, but I could bring some of them on Monday at school if you want to see them."

Rayne was ecstatic to know that he actually had pictures. "I'd love to see them." She smiled. Dib stood up, looking as determined as ever. "Finally, I can expose him for what he really is." He started laughing but then Rayne heard a rumbling sound coming from Dib.

"You want to go get something to eat, I'm sure Zim isn't going anywhere." She laughed. Dib blushed in embarrassment and nodded.

"There's a pizza place down the street if you're in the mood for pizza." He pointed down the street. Rayne nodded and followed him to a restaurant called 'Bloaty's pizza hog'. They went inside, sat down and ordered a large pepperoni pizza. After talking for a few hours the waiter came back with the check.

"I'll get this." Dib said, pulling his wallet out of his trench coat.

"Thank you." Rayne smiled. She looked outside and the sun had long since sunk below the horizon.

"It's getting late, would you like me to walk you home?" Dib asked, handing the waiter a twenty and telling him to keep the change.

"Sure." Rayne replied. They walked down the street for about ten minutes before arriving at a small, one story house. It was pale white and had a soft green roof, as well as a stone path leading up to a light, teal door.

"This is nice." Dib complimented, scanning the house.

"Thank you, it was one of the houses that my family owned, so it's better than having to pay rent every month at a rundown apartment building." Rayne explained.

"Yeah, I heard that you had no family. I'm sorry." Dib said.

"It's fine. Well thank you for walking me home; I'll see you Monday." She smiled, unlocking her front door.

"Yeah, see ya." Dib waved then started walking down the street toward his own house. Rayne closed and locked her door and threw her backpack on the floor before plopping herself down on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Thankfully she didn't have any homework to do, but now she had nothing to do. After who knows how long she was sitting there, she fell asleep.


	4. Identity revealed

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Chapter 4**

Zim was in his lab, working on his newest device. He had followed Rayne and Dib around after they left the front of his base and he now knew exactly where she lived. He wasn't sure why, but when he saw her hanging out with Dib, it made him slightly angry. _What do I care if she hangs out with the Dib- human?_ He shook his head and continued with his work until an alarm went off. He looked up at the security camera and smiled widely at what he saw; showing off his zipper-like teeth.

"This should be interesting." He laughed, as he ran out of the lab and up the elevator.

Rayne woke up at about 3:00 in the morning. She groaned, not wanting to try to fall asleep again, and stood up. She was still in her close from yesterday so she decided to take a walk. She grabbed her pepper spray and shoved it in her pocked; she also grabbed a dark blue sweatshirt and threw it on before walking out the front door, locking it behind her. Rayne had no idea where she was going, for she was lost in thought, bringing her back to thinking about Zim. Not the fact that he may be an alien; in fact, she was actually thinking about when she first saw him. He was tall, much taller than her short 5'4" stature, and he had not too much muscle, but enough for her to know that he took care of his body. In a way, he was actually kind of hot. _What the hell am I thinking? I shouldn't be thinking about him this way. I mean, I barely know him and, from how he acted, he obviously has no interest in me._

Rayne was ripped from her thoughts when she realized that she was right in front of Zim's yard. She looked up at the weird colored house; it looked a lot more peculiar up closed. She looked over the fence and saw a bunch of lawn gnomes placed all over the yard. She couldn't understand why, but she felt as if they were watching her every movement; it was downright creepy. She turned and started walking away, not wanting anyone to see her staring at the house. When she got half way down the street, Rayne heard a voiced come from behind her that chilled her to the bone.

"Well, this makes things much easier for me." Rayne froze before spinning around to see Zim standing there, his violet eyes boring into hers. Before she could say anything, a small spray bottle emerged from his backpack and it sprayed a dark blue mist in her face. She gasped in shock, breathing in the strange mist by mistake and she started getting dizzy. Her vision became cloudy and, soon enough, she found herself falling forward. Before she could fall, face first, into the unforgiving pavement, Zim reached out and caught her as she went limp in his arms; a maniacal chuckle was all she heard before she fell completely into darkness.

When Rayne awoke, she still felt like the world was spinning. She tried to open her eyes but was blinded by the bright lights in the room. Reaching up to rub her eyes, she discovered that her arms and legs were strapped down to, what felt like, an operating table. Rayne panicked and started to struggle against the restraints, but to no avail. She looked around the room to see that the walls were red and pink, with a large, insect-like symbol on the wall. There were computers and wires running everywhere; everything was unfamiliar to her.

"HI, PRETTY LADY!" Rayne looked around to see where the squeaky voice came from when something jumped onto her stomach. She looked down to see a tiny robot with bright cyan eyes staring back at her.

"Uh, hi?" She replied and the little robot started to giggle. He was very cute but seemed to be unintelligent.

"What's your name, little guy?" Rayne asked, forgetting, for a moment, where she was.

"GIR!" It squealed.

"I'm Rayne." She smiled back. Gir opened his head and pulled out a little rubber pig.

"You wants to play with us?" He smiled with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Rayne hatched an idea and smiled back at the little robot.

"I would, but I can't really move." She explained, hoping the robot would fall for it.

"Oooh, okay." He trotted towards one of the computer panels and pressed a few buttons. Moments later, the table's straps opened and Rayne sat up, rubbing her wrists.

"Okay, how about we play hide and seek, I'll count?" She asked Gir and he ran off with the toy pig. Rayne counted to ten out loud and yelled "Ready or not here I come." then took off running, looking for an exit. She came to an elevator and hopped inside; pushing what she thought was the button for the first floor. The elevator rose and Rayne found herself coming out of a trashcan in what looked like a kitchen. Ignoring this, Rayne spotted the door and ran towards it, praying it wasn't locked. To her relief, it wasn't and she opened the door; the sun hitting her face. _How long was I out?_ She also realized that she was at Zim's house. Taking a step out of the house, thinking she escaped and this nightmare was over, one of the gnomes shot a warning shot at Rayne's feet; she stumbled back into the house and fell on her side. After getting up, she brushed herself off, feeling both defeated and angry. _Zim is going to pay for this._ As if on cue, Rayne heard the door close behind her.

"I knew I couldn't trust Gir to watch you." His voice was cold and unfeeling. Rayne, reluctantly, turned around and faced her captor. Zim was leaning against the wall with one hand resting on the door; his eyes were crimson with no pupils and his spiky hair was replaced with two antennae. Rayne's eyes widened in shock; she could not believe what she was seeing. _Oh god, Dib was right! _Quickly swallowing her fear, she glared at the alien.

"What do you want from me?" She asked, her voice still shaky.

"All I, ZIM, need you to do is help me with my information gathering on you pathetic species." He smirked; pleased to see that he was striking fear into her. Rayne, glaring harder, shook her head in defiance.

"What makes you think I'll help you at all, Zim?" She spat, but Zim just smiled, showing off his teeth. He knew that would be her answer and had prepared for it. "Don't worry; I have ways of making you cooperate." His spider legs emerging from his PAK as he spoke, lifting him up of the ground. Rayne looked up at him in horror and jumped out of the way as one of the legs shot towards her; but before she could recover, she looked up to see Zim inches in front of her. Rayne lost her footing and fell up against the wall, while Zim imbedded his spider legs into the wall next to her head and waist. Rayne pushed back up against the wall, trying to escape his close proximity, but failing. She turned her head away out of fright and Zim smiled. He pushed a button on his PAK and grabbed a small computer chip from it.

"Unfortunately, pitiful Earth female, you aren't in the position to make that choice." He quickly lifted her head and pressed the chip on the back of her neck. Immediately after he did this, Rayne felt as if small wires were traveling throughout her body. She screamed in pain and reached up towards her neck with every intention of ripping the chip off, but Zim pinned her hands to each side of her head.

"I would strongly recommend you refrain from touching it; you may accidently paralyze yourself." He explained, with a smirk still plastered on his lips. After the pain stopped, Zim let go of Rayne and she fell to her hands and knees on the floor.

"You son of a bitch, what hell did you do?" She yelled, looking up at him with anger in her eyes.

"Disobey me and you will find out." He said coolly as walked away towards the kitchen, motioning her to follow. Rayne didn't try anything; she was smart enough to know that whatever this thing was, it would probably be best not to give him a reason to use it. Slowly, she rose to her feet and followed him back down the elevator she came from and into the lab.


	5. Things go from bad to worse

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Chapter 5**

Zim lead Rayne back to the room he had left her in the night before; on the way, finding Gir hiding under a small blanket.

"GIR, what are you doing." Zim glared.

"Shh, I'm hiding from the pretty lady." He said.

Zim turned to Rayne and she knew what he wanted. She turned towards Gir and pocked his little head. "I found you, Gir."

Gir threw off the blanket and ran around the room, yelling "You win." then disappearing into another room. She stared after him, letting out a chuckle and receiving an angry look from Zim.

"Don't encourage it, his behavior is obnoxious enough as it is." They entered the room Rayne woke up in and she started to get nervous; she didn't want to be strapped down again. Sensing her hesitation, Zim turned towards her and spoke.

"Go sit on the table, and stop worrying, there is no need to strap you down anymore." Rayne still hesitated before making her way to the table and taking a seat. Zim stood in front of her, holding what looked like a PDA, and wrote something down in a language that Rayne did not recognize.

He looked up at her and spoke once more. "Let us begin."

* * *

After about two hours of Zim questioning about all sorts of things about the human race and its social structure, an arm that came from Zim's PAK grabbed the PDA and stored it away.

"That should be enough for today." He said, turning away from her. Rayne stared at Zim's back not sure what to do.

"When I need you again, I will call for you." He started to walk out of the room.

"Wait, does that mean I can leave?" She asked; he nodded and left the room. Rayne ran towards the elevator before he could change his mind. Arriving in the main part of the house, she saw Gir sitting on the couch in a green dog costume, watching 'The Angry Monkey Show.' Rayne walked towards the door and heard Gir follow her.

"You leaving? Will you be back?" His eyes looking sad; she nodded and he smiled and hugged her leg.

"Yay!" He cheered before jumping back on the couch and resumed watching the T.V. Rayne opened the door and walked out slowly, hoping the gnomes would stay where they were. Once clear of the yard, Rayne broke out into a sprint and didn't stop until she was in front of her house. She entered and walked to her room, landing face-first on her bed. _What the hell am I supposed to do now? I'm now a slave to an alien, why does this have to happen to me? _She turned and looked at the clock next to her bed to see that it was Saturday afternoon; she had been gone for more than half a day. Her hand reached up and rested on her neck, feeling the tiny chip that was imbedded into her skin. _At least it is hidden by my hair, who knows what Zim would do if someone found out. _Before long, Rayne found herself drifting off to sleep, hoping that things would at least get better.

* * *

Zim stood in his lab, going through all the information that he had collected from Rayne. It wasn't long before his mind started to wander and he found himself thinking about how Rayne had reacted to him. She was scared, yes, but she also tried to get a hold of herself and take control of the situation. Zim was impressed by her spirit, not many could handle the situation like she did. _Ah, why do I keep thinking of her like this? Maybe there is a malfunction in my PAK; I'll have to run a scan._ Then he remembered that he had to contact the Tallest, to report his success in finding a suitable human slave.

"Computer, contact the Tallest!" He commanded. The screen opened up but all he got was a bunch of static.

"There seems to be some interference, master." The computer stated. Zim decided to try again later so he went to see what Gir was up to. He didn't really care what the defective S.I.R. unit was doing; he just needed something to do to distract his thoughts.

He marched to the elevator and went up to the main floor. Zim came out of the toilet and saw Gir in his green puppy costume and was also wearing an apron and a chef's hat.

"Gir, what are you doing?"

"I'm making a tuna and bacon sanmich!"

Zim raised a nonexistent eyebrow and shook his head. Looking around, he noticed that the walls were coated with what he believed was tuna. The smell started to become overpowering so Zim ran over to the kitchen window and opened it all the way.

"GIR, you are to clean up this mess, NOW!" Zim commanded while the little S.I.R. unit gobbled down the revolting sandwich.

"Yes my master." He saluted, his eyes showing red behind the fake dog eyes. He jumped up and started to clean, using his rocket booster to carry him up and across the walls. Zim walked out of the room and sat down on the couch; turning on the T.V. in the process. He stared at the T.V., almost as if he was looking through it, not caring what was on. His thoughts brought him back to Rayne once more. _Why do I keep thinking of her, I'm supposed to enslave these people? Maybe I'm getting a virus or something._

"Computer, run a virus scan on my PAK!"

"Fine." The computer sighed as a wire shot down from the ceiling and connected to his PAK. After about a minute the computer beeped.

"No anomalies detected." It announced.

Half of Zim was relived, but the other half was disappointed. If he had found something, that would explain everything and he could easily fix the problem, but now he was left in the dark yet again. He decided to try and call the Tallest again; hopefully he would be able to reach them this time.


	6. Unwelcome visitor

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Rayne seems to never catch a break but it is all part of the plan *laughs maniacally*. Anyway back to the story. **

**Chapter 6**

It was Sunday now and Rayne had just woken up from a nap that she took out of boredom. It was dark outside and she realized that she hadn't eaten anything for almost two days. She didn't feel like she could stomach anything right now but she forced herself up and towards the kitchen anyway. There was almost nothing to eat, reminding Rayne that she had forgotten to go shopping yesterday. She grabbed a box of cereal and poured herself a bowl and slowly ate it. When she was finished she put the bowl in the sink and sat back down at the table. She looked at the clock to see that it was still early; only 7:12 PM. _I guess I should go shopping._ She went up to her room and changed into a plain white t-shirt, a light, brown jacket and sweat pants. Grabbing her wallet, she walked out the door.

She came back with a bunch of groceries and placed them on the table, and turned on the kitchen light. After putting all the groceries away, she kicked her shoes off by the front door. She went to turn on a lamp next to her dark blue couch, the dim light filling about half of the room. As Rayne stripped off her jacket she heard scuffling in the dark corner of the room near the door. She spun around but saw nothing, taking a breath of relief to see that it was a magazine fluttering from the slight draft that came from the open window. Realizing something, she stiffened. _When did I leave the window open?_ She ran over to the window, shut it and locked it. She closed the soft, milky colored curtain and relaxed a bit.

"Long time no see, Rayne." A sarcastic voice came from the couch, breaking the nerve-racking silence. Rayne jumped and turned around; Zim was leaning on the arm of the couch, smirking at her startled expression.

"Z-zim? W-what are you doing here?" Rayne stuttered, trying to calm down her racing pulse.

"I came to see the condition your living quarters was in. I don't want my slave to bring any harmful germs back to my base. It is of no large concern to you." He said, standing up straight and waving his hand, dismissively. _The hell it isn't! _She thought. Throwing caution to the wind out of frustration, she raised her voice at the green alien.

"Get the hell out of my house, Zim!" She ordered, pointing to the door; big mistake. Zim stared angrily at Rayne, causing her to instantly regret her choice.

"I advise that you do NOT raise your voice to Zim again." He growled, slowly stepping towards her. "I am your slave master and you will address me as such."

Rayne stepped to the side and rushed over to the dining room table, wanting to put something between her and the invader. Zim watched her actions and laughed internally. _That's better, although it's good to see that she has some dignity._ He backed up and leaned back up against the arm of the couch as if nothing had happened.

"Is it necessary for you to be here now?" She asked, giving him a distrustful look.

"Not really, Zim has already examined your dwellings." Rayne didn't like the idea that he has already been here and done God-knows-what to her house.

"You didn't put cameras or anything in my house, did you?"

"No, there was no need to." He replied, his red eyes looked a bit confused at her question. For some reason, his answer didn't make Rayne feel any better; but judging by his composure, she doubted he would attack her. Slowly, she came out from behind the table and pulled up a chair before sitting down a good ten feet away from him.

"Did you have to sneak into my house? I doubt inspecting it is that important, right?"

"Well, I doubt you would have let Zim in if I came knocking now would you?" He said, matter-of-factly. He had a point, if he had come knocking on the door, then she would defiantly have slammed the door in his face.

"Well, that still doesn't mean you break into my house." She muttered more to herself then to him.

"You humans care too much about things as trivial as unexpected inspections. On Irk, we got them quite often." He chuckled.

Rayne became intrigued, it was the first time she had heard him mention anything about his personal life.

"Is that the planet you are from?"

"Yes, Zim is an invader of the MIGHTY Irken race." He spoke as if she should have already heard of them.

"So, why are you on this planet, or is it just to take over?"

"I, ZIM, am here to insure this pathetic mud ball's doom, making way for the GREAT IRKEN EMPIRE!"

"You don't have to yell." She explained, flinching away. "And why do you sometimes talk in the third person?"

"Most of my people do?"

She then asked the question that she was almost too afraid to ask. "What is going to happen to the rest of my people?"

Zim glanced at her as if the answer was obvious, but she still hoped for a different outcome. "Your wretched race is to be enslaved to the empire." He smirked.

Rayne flinched, as if the answer burned her skin. She couldn't let that happen, she refused to be the cause of own race's enslavement; but what could she do? What could any one person do?

Zim stood up and made his way to the door. "I'm done answering questions. I will see you soon." And with that, he was gone. _What am I going to do? _She thought, sinking to the floor. _I guess I could try to avoid him; he can't do anything to me if he can't find me, right?_ All the new information was running extensively through her mind.


	7. Defiance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Read, review and ENJOY!**

**Chapter 7**

**Back on the Massive…**

Purple was pacing back and forth on the bridge of the ship with a bag of glazed donuts clutched tightly in his claws.

"Stop pacing, I'm nervous enough as it is."

"But Red, we've never had to deal with something like this before; we were lucky to have won that battle and they'll be back. Not to mention they destroyed our long range transmitter that will take months to repair." Purple started sweating, they both haven't had a break in days and they were both on edge.

"Pacing won't make it work any faster, besides, we've already sent the messenger and he is on his way to meet with Invader Stink. We just have to hold our ground and keep our heads until then and everything will be fine." Red reassured Purple, half believing his own words.

"I hope your right; the Meekrobs are not as merciful as us. If given the chance, they would wipe out every race in the universe." He continued his pacing, shoving three donuts into his mouth.

"Sirs, our sensors indicate that a blockage has been set up in the direction of our destination." One of the Irkens manning the controls announced.

"Then we better give them on hell of a fight." Red commanded, glaring out the window at what was to come.

* * *

It's been a week since Rayne has seen Zim and, frankly, she was relieved. She started hanging out with Dib and they quickly became good friends. She still hasn't told him about what happened over the weekend and, for her sake, she wanted to keep it that way. After school, she said goodbye to Dib and headed home; when he was out of sight, she heard Zim's voice come out of nowhere.

"Rayne, come to my base immediately." He ordered. Rayne looked around and saw no one there.

"Where are you?" She asked, a bit startled.

"I am speaking through the chip on your neck; only you can hear me." He explained. "I'll be waiting." Then everything was silent once more. Rayne pondered on what she would do. She had no intention of obeying his order, but she couldn't go home; he was sure to look for her there. She ran down the street until she reached a tall, brick building with a large sign in the front that read 'Public Library.' It brought back memories of when she was little; she always ran away to public libraries whenever she wanted to hid from her parents after an argument. She climbed the steps and made her way to the back of the library to the reading area. To pass the time, she opened her backpack and pulled out her English homework, wanting to get a head start on their writing assignment.

She lost track on how long she had been there and only after she sat up did she realize that she had fallen asleep. It was getting dark outside but the sun was still slightly visible so she assumed that it wasn't closing time for the library yet. She stared at her book, deep in thought; she couldn't hide from Zim forever. _Oh yes I can._ She argued with herself, but she knew that she had to come up with a better plan then running and hiding. Although she told herself that she didn't want to see him again_; _but deep down she actually did. Something about him captivated her; whether it was the authority in his voice, his confident demeanor or his enticing crimson red eyes, she wasn't sure. _What am I thinking; he wants to take over the Earth._ She tried to erase him from her mind but she couldn't help it. She gave up, letting out a sigh and put her books back in her backpack; standing up with every intention of going home. She turned around and bumped into someone, her heart pounding as she looked up at the person's face. Then her heart stopped at the sight of Zim in his human disguise, with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in fury. _Shit!_ Rayne took a step back as Zim uncrossed his arms.

"Where do you think you're going, Rayne-slave."

"How did you find me?" Her eyes widened in shock, surprised that he was able to locate her so easily.

"You didn't think that the great Invader Zim would be stupid enough to not put a tracker in that chip, did you?" He spat, taking another step forward. Rayne could almost see his red eyes glowing behind the lavender colored contacts. She had forgotten about the chip and realized how stupid she was, without thinking she ran through the library in an attempt to escape. She heard a clicking and knew that he was using his spider legs to chase after her. Ducking behind corner after corner, she lost sight of him and ran for the exit, making it outside. Just her luck, there were no people around for her to hid behind, so Rayne ran down the street and hide around the corner of an alley way. Seeing that Zim wasn't behind her, she stopped in the alley way and attempted to catch her breath. Reaching out to a nearby poll for support, she focused on regulating her breathing. Looking up at the poll and realized that it was moving and she stumbled forward as she saw Zim lower himself down from his hiding place. Rayne ran down the alley only to discover that it was a dead end._ That figures, I'm so dead._ She spun around, frantically looking for a way out only to find none.

"Didn't I warn you what would happen if you disobeyed Zim, foolish human?" Zim asked as he came closer and closer. He slowly lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, and suddenly Rayne felt a small but painful shock that flowed through her body. She yelped and tried to reach up towards the chip but discovered that her hand wasn't obeying her command. In fact, her whole body was ignoring her every order and she started to panic.

"This is a good time to tell you more about that ingenious device that I created." He smirked as he stood in front of her and grasped her chin in his claws. "That chip, when activated, blocks the electric signals that your inferior brain emits and replaces them with electronic signals that I send to it from my PAK. In other words, I can control your every move without saying a word." Rayne's eyes widened in terror; if she was afraid of anything in this world, she was afraid of being helpless and unable to control her own actions the most. Zim sensed her fear and his mouth turned up into a shit-eating smile.

"I see. You seem to be quite terrified of the situation; then let this teach you a lesson." He turned and started walking away, forcing Rayne to follow with tears streaming down her face.

They reached his base and he led her inside. Closing the door and locking it, he faced her and smirked. "Now, are you going to cooperate or do I have to keep the chip active?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'll cooperate." Rayne sobbed. Satisfied with the answer, Zim snapped his fingers and Rayne fell to her hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"Now, shall we get started?" Zim asked with a sadistic smile plastered on his face.


	8. Truth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Sorry this one is a little short, but the next one will have some romance in it. It isn't the lemon, but I'm getting there. It's good to know people are reading my story so reviews are appreciated! ENJOY!**

**Chapter 8**

After the interrogation, Zim ordered Rayne to go upstairs and entertain Gir so he could finish his work without interruption. She sat on the large, red couch, watching the 'Angry Monkey Show' with Gir curled up on her lap. _He is just so cute. It's hard to believe he belongs to Zim_. A commercial for 'The Crazy Taco' came on and Gir started bouncing off the walls.

"MUST GET TACOS!" He screamed. He grabbed Rayne's arm and attempted to drag her out the door.

"Alright, we'll go get some tacos; I'm sure Zim won't mind."

"Master is too busy, we'll come right back."

Gir pulled on his costume, handed her his leash and they left the base, heading for the restaurant.

"Do you know the way, Gir?" He just nodded and continued to tug Rayne along until they reached their destination. Rayne bought Gir twelve tacos, which he practically inhaled.

"Should we have gotten Zim some?" Rayne thought out loud.

"Master hates tacos." Gir sighed. "We should make COOKIES!"

He ran off, back towards the house with Rayne struggling to keep up. They reached the house and Rayne bent over, gasping for breath as Gir ran into the kitchen and started gathering the ingredients.

"It's kind of late to make cookies, Gir." She tried to explain, but Gir ignored her and she gave up. She looked up to see him standing over the mixing bowl, about to pour a big bottle of soap in. Rayne grabbed the bottle form him just in time.

"How about I gather the ingredients and you can stir the dough?" Gir smiled and nodded in agreement.

She combined all the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies before handing it off to Gir, who was now out of his dog costume. He quickly grabbed the bowl from her and started to stir, wildly; Rayne was amazed that the dough managed to stay in the bowl. They placed the dough balls on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven.

"It should be done in about fifteen minutes." Rayne said, setting the timer on the oven.

"YAY, COOKIES!" Gir yelled before darting out of the kitchen and jumping back on the couch and grabbing the remote. _Where does he get his energy?_ Rayne wondered as she sat down next to him.

* * *

Zim couldn't understand why, but he hasn't been able to contact the Tallest in over a week. _Maybe they are making repairs._ After a while Zim realized that he hasn't heard a peep from upstairs for about an hour and decided to check on the two. He found Rayne fast asleep on the couch with Gir curled up on her stomach in off mode. He looked over at the table next to the couch to find a plate of cookies; well, half a plate. Gir must have eaten most of them. Zim found himself watching Rayne as she slept; her chest rising and falling gently. A strand of the brown hair lay across her face and Zim, beside himself, walked over and brushed the strand out of her face. She looked so innocent and peaceful as she slept. Walking out of the room, he returned with a red blanket in his arms and he gently placed it over her sleeping figure and carefully placing Gir on top of the blanket. Zim stayed there for a few minutes before grabbing the plate of cookies and headed back down into his lab. _What is wrong with me? I shouldn't care about her well being at all._ He tried very hard to concentrate on his work, but her face kept finding its way into his mind to the point where he couldn't even remember what he was doing.

"Computer, identify the emotion that Zim is feeling, now."

"Yes, sir." It said halfheartedly. The computer ran a scan and came back with the results.

"The emotion you are feeling is attraction towards the Earth female or, as the humans call it, love." It answered, seeming a bit surprised. _That's impossible; no Irken has felt attraction towards anything in centuries. Not since we started using the smeeteries._ Among his people, mating was strictly forbidden in order to keep the population under control. Only the most elite of Irkens were allowed to claim a female and even that was nothing more than for necessity, not _love_. Zim started to panic; he had become attracted to the not only another being, but a human no less. How could this be? He pondered over this for what felt like hours; he knew that a human's anatomy was very close to an Irken's, so maybe the pheromones that Irken females used to produce was similar to humans as well. But he knew it wasn't just physical attraction, he admired her spirit and personality; she was stubborn and smart, not to mention she was the only human he could stand to be around. _This is ridiculous, I am an Irken invader. The one to bring doom to this filth planet and she is a human; I shouldn't have feelings for her at all._ The more he tried to deny it, the more obvious it became. Soon enough there was no fighting it anymore and he caved in to the feeling. He was in love with a human.


	9. Is this what love is?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**This isn't the lemon but there is some romancing in this chapter. I have decided to have the lemon come up very soon so watch for it. Review and ENJOY!**

**Chapter 9**

Rayne woke up with a start, momentarily forgetting where she was. She spotted the little, hyperactive robot still, she thought, sleeping. She realized that there was a blanket on top of her. _I don't remember grabbing one. _She shrugged it off and looked at the clock hanging on the wall, but couldn't read what it said; it had strange symbols that she couldn't recognize. Judging from outside, it was sure to rain today. _It's a good thing that it is Saturday and we don't have school._ School! She realized that she left her backpack at the library, yesterday. She got up, gently placing Gir back on the couch and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Zim emerged from an opening in the floor; but what really caught Rayne off guard was that his voice contained more curiosity then a demanding tone. She relaxed a tad and turned to face him.

"I left my backpack at the library; I just wanted to go get it." She explained. "Why, do you want to come with me?" _Why the hell did I ask that?_

Zim glanced out the window and Rayne could have sworn she saw a tinge of fear behind his blank expression.

"It's about to rain, though." Zim spat out in disgust.

"We'll be back before it starts." Rayne assured him. He pondered for a moment, looking outside and back to her again. _I'm going to regret this._ He thought as he put on his disguise and followed her out the door.

"Do you not like the rain?"

She was too observant for her own good and Zim's artificial eyes started to dart every which way.

"No, Zim has no problem with your planet's weather phenomenon. Why would you think that?"

"Just wondering." She turned back ahead.

"Do you miss your home planet?" She asked out of the blue, catching Zim off guard.

"Why do you care, human?" His eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"I'm just asking, not need to get all suspicious."

Zim looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. "If you must know, then yes, Zim does have the feeling of 'homesickness', as you humans put it."

"Why don't you just go back then?"

"Because Zim has a mission to complete and nothing as trivial as that is going to distract me from it." Zim's voice became harsher and Rayne jumped a bit and went silent.

"What is your planet like?" She asked after a long awkward silence. Zim wasn't sure if he wanted to answer but decided that there was no harm in telling her.

"The planet's surface is covered entirely of tall skyscrapers and technology. My people are centuries ahead of your races _pathetic_ excuse of machinery."

"Yeah, I kind of figured as much." She placed her hand on her neck, making Zim feel a bit guilty. He shook it off and quickly changed the subject.

"So wha-"

"I'm sorry, I have to ask, but why do you carry that around everywhere you go?" She cut him off. Zim glanced behind him, seeing nothing but his PAK.

"Do you mean Zim's PAK?" She nodded. "It is standard equipment for all Irken soldiers."

"Do you ever take it off?" She questioned.

Zim shook his head. "It is infused to our spinal cord; we only take it off for repairs but only fo-" He stopped himself before he could say anything more.

"Dib told me a little about it; he said he stole it from you once before." Zim's eyes widened in alarm.

"What else has the Dib told you?" He demanded.

"H-he told me that the thing on your back is some kind of life support, but it was dangerous to remove. He said he learned that the hard way." She explained, a bit uneasy of his mood swing.

Zim relaxed. "That human has been a pain in Zim's side for far too long." He muttered more to himself. Rayne stayed silent until they arrived at the library. It was only a five minute walk from Zim's house, so Rayne easily remembered the way. She ran in and saw that her stuff was still at the table she left it at.

"I guess it is too early for anyone to be in here to take it. That's a relief." She said, throwing it over her shoulder and they walked out.

About half way to Zim's base, Rayne felt a water droplet hit her face, then another. Almost instantly, it started to rain, heavily. Rayne saw Zim run under a tree, screaming and smoldering.

"Zim, are you okay?" Rayne's voice sounded very worried. She ran over to him and stared in horror at the sight of him. His skin had burns all over it and his breathing was raspy.

"Oh my God." Rayne whispered to herself. "Why didn't you tell me this would happen; I would never have asked you to come." He may have been her captor, but she hated to see anyone in pain; she had to do something.

"We have to get you back to the house." She announced. Zim stood up straight, his wounds already starting to heal.

"This is nothing," He pointed to the rapidly healing burns. "But I am not going back out there." He refused.

Rayne took of her jacket and handed it to him. "If we run, we can make it, just put that on."

Zim hesitated before grasping the small jacket and covered his exposed skin. Rayne nodded and ran out into the rain with Zim following closely behind. By the time they reached the house, Rayne was drenched and Zim had only a few burns where the water had soaked through the jacket. They ran inside and closed the door behind them. Gir came running up to Rayne and grabbed her leg.

"I missed you!" He squeaked. Rayne looked down and smiled at Gir before glancing back towards Zim. He handed her the soaked jacket. "Thanks." He muttered before walking to the trashcan and disappearing into the depths of his lab. Gir detached himself and ran out of the room leaving Rayne standing there, dripping on the floor. Gir returned and threw a light reddish towel at her.

"Pretty lady is all wet." He stated happily.

"Thanks Gir." She said, patting him on the head and he scampered back to the couch.

Rayne dried herself off and walked over to a closet to hang up her jacket so it could dry. She opened it up and jumped back a bit to see two broken robots that looked like human adults inside. They were covered in dust; probably haven't been used in years. Rayne was so use to all the weird things around the house that she just hung up her jacket and closed the door without a second glance. Her thoughts brought her back to the image of Zim, covered in burns, and she started to worry. _Maybe I should go check on him._ With that she walked into the kitchen and jumped into the trashcan._ I am never going to get used to that._ She reached the main lab and saw Zim sitting at his computer looking at a fuzzy screen.

"Damn it, still no signal!" He growled in frustration.

"Zim?"

Zim jumped and stood up. "What is it?" He glared. Rayne ignored him and stepped closer to him, examining him for any burns. _They must have already healed, like before. Incredible._

"What are you staring at?" He lifted a nonexistent eyebrow.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay." She answered, truthfully. Zim approached her until he was standing only a few inches in front of her; her heart started beating rapidly.

"Zim doesn't need a human like you treating him like a helpless smeet." He scowled but softened a little.

Rayne turned away, staring at the floor. "I'm sorry, I just- Wait, a what?" She looked back up at him in confusion.

"A smeet; it's what we call Irken infants." Zim answered.

"Oh, Dib said your people are born in a lab. Is that true?" She seemed fascinated with learning more about the alien that she couldn't help herself.

"Indeed, this is correct. Irkens have been using birthing facilities for centuries. This is to make our people into the best soldiers in the universe." He explained, pride filled his words.

Rayne stepped back, realizing how close he was getting; her heart still pumping erratically. _Why am I acting this way? _She could feel heat rise on her cheeks as she lightly blushed. Zim saw this and looked at her, confused, taking a step towards her to examine her face.

"Why is your face turning red? Are you sick?" Rayne blushed harder. _You could say that. _She thought, not noticing his advancement until he was right in her face. His close proximity made her heart flutter. His scent flooding her senses; he smelled musky and, faintly, like cinnamon; it was intoxicating. She found herself staring at his lips. _What is wrong with me? Snap out of it Rayne, he's an alien that's trying to destroy mankind._ She practically screamed this in her head but she couldn't help herself. She leaned forward, slightly hesitant; how would he react, what would he do?

Zim noticed her movements and became aware of how close they were. Her face was so close to his, tempting him to get closer; he couldn't help it. Acting solely on instinct, he closed the distance between them and planted his lips on hers. Her eyes widened in shock, but then closed slightly as she leaned in more, deepening the kiss. Sparks shot throughout her body as she shivered in delight, her hands making their way up his chest. Rayne ran her tongue gently over his lips, begging for entrance, and Zim, oddly enough, obliged. Zim's serpentine tongue fought Rayne's for dominance and won, exploring every inch of her mouth, letting out a low groan. Rayne reached up and gripped one of his antennae, kneading it between two fingers. A purr erupted from Zim's throat, loving the contact.

Zim didn't know what this new feeling was, but he liked it. He rested his hands on her hips, wanting to pull her closer. He had seen humans around the school do this before and it always sickened him. But now he understood why the humans wanted it so bad. The connection made him feel like he would burst into flames any second now. He had to have her, to make her his and to show her that he was truly her master on all fronts. Before he could feel more of her, Gir ran in the room and squealed.

"Master loves Rayne!" He screamed as the two broke apart.

"GIR!" Zim hollered as Gir ran out of the room, giggling to himself. Rayne stared at the floor in embarrassment. _I can't believe I just did that._

"I have to go." She said and before Zim could say anything, she ran to the elevator and ascended up to the main floor. She grabbed her bag and jacket from the closet and ran out of the house, not looking back.

Zim just stood there in his lab, not bothering to chase after her. What could he do or say to her now? He needed time to think. He slumped down on the computer chair and just stared at nothing.


	10. Desperate situations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**The lemon will show up in the next two or three chapters. I love your guys' reviews so keep them up. Now, back to the story. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 10**

**To the Massive…**

"Purple, they have been bombarding us none stop for weeks. We are running out of options."

"No, it's too soon. Besides, that's why we were going to speak with the Control Brain. It was the Brain who told us after all, remember?" Purple stomped his foot like a child. Red remembered well, the day they were told by the Control Brain that that little former nuisance would be the one to change their way of life either for the better or for the worst. After all, he did take after _them._

An alarm blared through the ship and a red light blinked in warning.

"What is happening?" Purple said, cowering behind Red.

"The ship has been breached in sectors 3, 4, 7, and 9." Announced one of the officers.

"Then we are out of time. Sound the alert for evacuation!" Red boomed.

They heard blasts from outside the door. Purple started to panic as the doors were blasted open and Irken guards were falling left and right. The shots ceased as the smoke cleared.

"Looks like our victory is close at hand." A voice came from the entrance. The two Irken leaders stared at the being, Red scowling all the while.

* * *

It's been about three weeks since the incident in the lab and Rayne hasn't seen Zim at school. She would have gone to see if he was okay if she wasn't too much of a coward to face him again.

"Rayne, are you okay? You seem kind of down." Dib looked at her, worry written on his face as they walked to school. Even Gaz looked up from her game to see what was happening. Rayne and Gaz were starting to become good friends, even if she didn't show it that often.

"I just haven't seen Zim in a while. It's strange, isn't it?" She said, putting on a fake smile.

"He's probably plotting something. He always disappears before something big." He explained, thinking to himself. _I doubt that is the reason._ She couldn't help but think she was the reason he wasn't showing up, but she wasn't about to tell Dib about anything that happened. What would he think if she told him that he put a strange device on her, or that they kissed in his lab? Memories of that day flooded her mind, how could she be so stupid?

"I'm going on ahead, I'll see you later Rayne." Gaz said before running off to the school. Rayne waved goodbye but froze when she saw a green face come around the corner. Dib glared and ran towards him, dragging Rayne along behind him.

"Hey, Zim, where have you been lately? Planning another attempt at world domination?" Dib accused, but Zim just ignored him; his eyes were on Rayne, his face was unreadable. Rayne made eye contact then turned away, blushing; feeling a familiar sensation fill her body.

Zim turned away quickly and started walking towards the school steps without another word.

"I'll stop whatever your scheming!" Dib yelled as he pounced on Zim.

"Get off of me, filthy human!" Zim yelled back, turning over and pushing Dib to the ground. They struggled on the ground for a while, taking turns slugging each other in the gut; Rayne just rolled her eyes at their childish fight. _They must do this a lot_. She thought, shaking her head. When Zim finally managed to push Dib off, he got up with his back facing Dib. Dib took this chance to reach into his pocket and grab a taser. Rayne spotted it right away and saw him looking at Zim's PAK; she then knew what he was planning to do. _If he shocks Zim's PAK, he could hurt him or even-. _She stopped her mind from thinking of the other outcome; she couldn't let that happen. When Dib launched himself at Zim, without thinking, Rayne jumped in the way.

"NO!" She yelled as the taser touched the middle of her back, sending a painful shock run through her body. She felt the chip on her neck start to pull back the wires that ran through her body as it fell off her neck and hit the pavement with a loud 'Click'. She fell to the ground and slipped into unconsciousness.

Zim spun around and was in shock by what he had just witnessed. Rayne had saved him, but why? Dib was in just as much shock and knelt down by her side. He instantly spotted the chip and noticed the Irken insignia.

"What is this? Did you make her do this?" He shouted, holding up the chip. Zim quickly grabbed the chip from him and glared.

"I did no such thing!" He yelled at the accusation, stepping towards Rayne.

"Don't come near her!" Dib yelled as he picked her up and headed for the nurse's office.

Zim stood there, gazing at the tiny chip. The shock from the taser had short circuited it, but it was easily fixable. Zim started to feel sorrow. _It was a mistake to come today. She got hurt protecting me; she got hurt because of me. _He glared at the device for a long time before crushing it between his claws.

* * *

Rayne awoke in the nurse's office in a daze.

"You're awake." She turned to see Dib sitting a chair next to the cot that she was on.

"What happened?" She asked, then shot up, remembering what happened. A sharp pain shot through her back and she gasped.

"Don't move around too much." Dib yelled, frantically. "I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell me Zim was controlling you, this wouldn't have happened if you did." He questioned.

"He wasn't controlling me; I jump in front of him by myself." She shouted. Realizing what she said, she instantly regretted it.

"What?" Dib looked completely lost. "What's being going on? Tell Me!" He seemed to start getting angry. Rayne stood up slowly

"It's nothing." She calmly stated.

"It's not 'nothing', what was that thing on your neck?" He pushed the issue, wanting to get an answer.

"It doesn't matter now, it's gone, end of story." Dib was furious but he knew she wasn't going to answer him, so he stormed out of the room and slammed the door. Rayne walked over to the bathroom sink and splashed her face with cold water, then stared at her reflection.

"You're such an idiot, you know that?" She spat as if her reflection would reply. She grabbed her stuff and left the school, not wanting to be there for another minute, and headed home.

* * *

Zim sat in his lab for hours, not able to concentrate on anything. Even when Gir ran in and knocked a bunch of shelves over, he said nothing.

"What's wrong, Master?" Even Gir was able to tell that something was wrong. Zim looked at his companion, almost smiling.

"Don't worry about it. Why don't you go make some waffles?" Gir smiled and ran off to make the waffles.

Zim stood up and put his disguise back on, deciding to take a walk in order to gather his thoughts.

* * *

Rayne stared at the ceiling in her room. She flipped over and turned on the T.V. to the news, trying to get her mind off everything. She half-listened to the story that was on.

The black haired, female news reporter sat in the studio as she listed off the current events. "The body of twenty-four year old Tracie Louis was discovered today, police say this is the third body found within the last two weeks and advise everyone to lock their doors and windows to better protect them from the person behind these savage murders."

She stared at the T.V. in disbelief. _Thank goodness the murders seemed to occur on the other side of town._ She reassured herself. She shut off the T.V. and stared back at the ceiling; the T.V. was not helping to distract her mind. There was only one thing she could do._ I can't deny it anymore, I have to tell him._ Gathering as much courage as possible, she grabbed a jacket and headed for the door. It was almost dark outside and remembering what was said on the news, she grabbed her can of pepper spray. _Better safe than sorry._ She told herself. She walked down the street towards Zim's base; unaware of the danger she had just put herself in.


	11. Desperate situations part II

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains scenes not suitable for young readers. It contains intentions of rape and violence. You have been warned. Reviews are appreciated. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 11**

Rayne turned the corner, passing a dark alley way and froze when she heard shuffling. She turned around and looked down the alley to see a stray cat rummage through the garbage then disappeared behind a corner. Sighing in relief, she told herself that there was nothing to worry about and that she was just being paranoid. She continued on but froze once again, hearing footsteps this time. She turned to see a young man with dirty blond hair staring at her.

"What are you doing out this late, don't you know it's dangerous for beautiful girls like yourself to be wandering around alone?" He emphasized the last word and Rayne clutched her pepper spray tightly in her pocket.

"I think I'll manage." She said, not taking her eyes off him.

"Would you like me to walk with you?" He asked, coolly.

"I'll be fine, but thanks anyway." She took a step back. The man took a step towards her.

"Oh come on, I won't bite." He said seductively, taking another step towards her. Rayne started to get scared and pulled out her pepper spray.

"Stay where you are." She ordered, as calmly as possible. The man just smiled.

"Oh come now, do you think something like that scares me?" He growled, sounding like a wild animal.

Before Rayne could hit the button, the man rushed towards her and grabbed her by the wrist, knocking the bottle to the ground. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and placed it on her neck.

"Don't scream, or I'll kill you!" He snarled as he dragged her into the alley way. Rayne started to struggle and the man threw her to the ground, hitting her head on the concrete. She whimpered in pain as he sat on her hips, straddling her.

"Come on princess, lighten up." He chuckled. Rayne turned to him and spat in his face. He wiped it off and she was rewarded with a punch to the face and stomach. She coughed, trying to get her breath back as he tore open her shirt, tracing her torso with the knife. He pulled some cloth out of his pocket, tied her hands behind her back and gagged her. She moaned out in pain as her hands were crushed against the pavement. The man licked his lips as he brought the knife over her torso and sliced at her skin, leaving deep gashes. Rayne started to cry and thrashed around at a desperate attempt to knock him off of her. He didn't budge as he brought his fist down on her chest as she screamed behind the gag. He had cracked her rib and it hurt like hell. He got down to her pants and proceeded to pull them down along with her underwear. She knew it would hurt badly but she had to do something. She took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could; knowing nobody could possibly hear her through the gag.

* * *

Zim slowly walked around the city, not caring where he was going. He hasn't been able to report to the Tallest in about a month and he also couldn't get his mind off of Rayne. He didn't know what to do; he was so confused. _Is it this hard for humans as well?_ He asked himself.

Ripped from his thoughts he heard a muffled scream, it was barely audible to him, much less a human, but it was there. His sensitive antennae picked up the soft cries and he was struck with horror. _That was Rayne's voice!_ He ran towards the direction of the cries and he came upon a dark alley way. Darkness not hindering his advanced, alien eyes, he saw everything. Rayne was on the ground with blood dripping all over her, her shirt was in pieces exposing her bare chest. The attacker, hearing the footsteps, picked her up and lifted the knife to her side, glaring at Zim. Rayne looked up at him with half lidded eyes; she had lost a lot of blood and was having a hard time staying conscious.

"Stay back or I'll stab her!" He threatened. Rage filled Zim as he took a step towards the man. The man jabbed the knife halfway into her abdomen before pulling it out again, making her scream in agony. Zim quickly pounced at the man with his spider legs and knocked the man down; the knife flying out of his hand.

* * *

Rayne fell to the ground unable to see what was happening. All she knew was that Zim and the man were in a struggle. She turned her body enough to see the man punch Zim in the jaw only to have Zim claw him in the face. The man yelled in rage and threw Zim off him, knocking Zim's wig off and cracking an eye contact in the process. The man stood up and looked at Zim in shock.

"W-what are you?" He pointed as Zim pulled his contacts out.

"How dare you touch what rightfully belongs to Zim!" Zim hissed. Rayne found herself smiling at his comment. _He cares for me._ This made her so happy that her eyes started to water again.

Zim stepped towards the man, cornering him and pinned him to the wall with one of his mechanical legs. The man cried out in pain as the leg pierced his shoulder.

"You make me sick." Zim growled. The man struggled and glared at the alien in front of him. Rayne couldn't hold herself up anymore and fell back to the ground as she heard the man scream before there was silence. She heard footsteps come towards her and Zim knelt down in front of her, freeing her hands and mouth. She smiled weakly.

"Zim." Her voice was hoarse and weak.

"Don't speak; you've lost too much blood. I have to get you back to my base." He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, careful not to damage her further, and started for his home. Rayne buried her face into his shirt and sobbed.

"I was so scared; I didn't think anyone would hear me." She cried.

"My antennae allow me to pick up sounds that your human ears can't. That was the only reason I was able to find you." He explained, looking down at her puffy, abused face.

"What happened to him?" She asked, uncaring.

"Zim took care of him; he was a human unworthy of another second of life." He growled in anger.

Rayne smiled weakly and gripped his shirt in her hand as she nuzzled his chest.

"Thank you, Zim." She sobbed.

Her eyesight started to fade as her hand fell to her chest, limply and she coughed and gasped. It was getting harder to breath.

Zim panicked and started running towards his base. "Don't you dare die on me!" He yelled as her vision went dark.

* * *

Zim hurried through the door of his base. Gir looked over at him and then at Rayne.

"What's wrong with the pretty lady, is she okay?" He asked, innocently. Zim ignored him.

"Computer, take me to the medical bay immediately." He commanded.

"Yes, sir." It said, noting the urgency in Zim's voice. They descended into a room that had suspension tanks and a medical table. He set her on the table and ran over to the computer; her breathing was getting slower and more uneven with each passing second.

"Scan the human's injuries and proceed with treatment." The computer obeyed as wires came from the ceiling and started the process. Zim stood by, hoping that she would be okay.


	12. Now or never

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I am aware that Rayne seems to go unconscious a lot but remember that she is a weak human being. Plus, it makes the story more interesting but I promise that it will happen less. Also the next chapter will be a LEMON. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 12**

Rayne opened her eyes a little to find herself floating in some sort of purple liquid. She had an oxygen mask on her face and some needles sticking into her arms. She was still too weak to move much but she looked around the room just outside the glass and her gaze rested on Gir smiling up at her. She smiled back and he ran off yelling something she couldn't quite make out. Moments later, he returned with Zim standing next to him, looking up at her. His face was so full of worry that it made Rayne want to hug him and tell him it was okay. He put his gloved hand on the glass and Rayne struggled to copy him. Her vision was failing again as her hand rested on the glass as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

The next time she woke up, she was lying on a table wearing some kind of hospital gown only it was grey and it didn't open in the back. She sat up and looked around the room, recognizing it from when she was in the tank.

"You're awake, that's good." She looked over to see Zim standing there. "Dib wouldn't stop asking about you."

Her eyes widened. "Dib? What happened while I was out? How long was I out?" She asked.

"Calm down, you've been out for about twenty eight hours. When you didn't come back to school, Dib came looking for you. It took forever to convince him of what actually happened." As if on cue, Dib walked in the room and stared at Rayne.

"Oh my God, Rayne. I heard what happened, are you alright?" He asked, she nodded and he hugged her gently. "It's all over the news, how that murderer was found dead this morning. I can't believe that Zim saved you." He said.

He stood up and turned toward Zim. "You still haven't told me the whole story or why you saved her in the first place, Zim." Zim shrugged.

"That is something between Rayne and me, Dib-human." He said. Dib looked from Rayne to Zim and back before his face light up in shock, putting all the pieces together.

"Zim, I need to speak to you in private. I'll talk to you later, Rayne." He waved, then grabbed Zim and dragged him out of the room while Zim protested, leaving Rayne alone in the room.

* * *

"Zim, correct me if I'm wrong but ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH HER?" He yelled. Zim covered the boy's mouth in an attempt to silence him, not wanting Rayne to overhear. Dib pushed him off and Zim stepped back, crossing his arms.

"So what if Zim is? It does not concern you, Dib-thing."

"It is my concern since she is my friend and you're a hostile alien. Not to mention it is so…not right and stuff." He said

"What do you mean?" Zim glared, almost insulted by the comment.

"I mean you are Irken and she is human. It's just not right." Dib explained, rubbing his temples.

"Does that even matter?"

"Yes, it does; and what about your mission?"

"What about it?"

"I mean your-" Dib's eyes widened at a sudden notion. "Wait; don't tell me you may be planning to call the invasion off?"

Zim's mouth opened and closed again, like a fish, then turned away. The thought had been recently crossing his mind, but was Rayne really worth it? Did she matter more than what he had been working towards his entire life? A small part of him said no, but after what happened in the alley, seeing her almost half dead he realized that he never wanted something like that to happen to her again.

Dib turned away, rubbing the bridge of his nose, and then brushing a hand through his jet black hair muttering 'I don't believe this' to himself.

He paced around the lab for what felt like an eternity before he turned back towards the invader. "Have you even told her how you feel yet?" He asked, Zim looked up in surprise.

"I- eh well I um- that is-" He stumbled about his words not knowing what to say, but Dib understood.

"Figures." He sighed. "I don't like this and I still don't trust you, but seeing as you saved her life, I'll let this slid." He walked past Zim and towards the exit. "If I find out that you have done anything to hurt her, I will kill you." And with that he left.

Zim ignored the threat; he would never try to harm her. He made his way back into the medical bay and closed the door behind him. Rayne looked up towards Zim, trying to make sure the gown wasn't showing anything. She was uncomfortable being completely bare underneath the thin material. Zim noticed this.

"I brought some of your clothes from your home since your other clothes were destroyed. They are in the bottom drawer over there." Zim said, pointing to a medical cart.

"Oh, thank you Zim. Is there somewhere I can change?" Zim pointed to a small door leading to an empty room. Rayne nodded and grabbed some clothes from the drawer and headed for the room to change. Soon after, she emerged wearing some jean shorts and a semi-low cut purple t-shirt. Zim jaw went slack; she looked stunning even in simple clothes such as those. He quickly closed his mouth as she approached him.

"Where did Dib go?" She asked.

"He left." Zim quickly said.

"Oh, okay. I was hoping to say goodbye to him but I guess I'll see him at school." She sighed.

"Alright, well you're probably in need of food by now so why don't you head upstairs." He instructed. Rayne was starving so she agreed without question and headed for the door.

"I'll be down here if you need anything." He called out to her. She smiled then left Zim alone in the room. _I have to tell her soon._ He headed out of the room and into the main part of his lab, pondering about how to tell her all the while.

* * *

Now in the kitchen, Rayne walked over to the fridge to see what was there when her she felt something grip her leg.

"Pretty lady's okay, pretty lady's not dead. I'm so happy, I missed you." Gir cried out, tears filling his artificial eyes. Rayne smiled down and picked him up, giving him a big hug.

"I missed you too." Gir nuzzled her neck before wriggling out of her grasp.

"Guess who made PIZZA!" He yelled, handing Rayne a plate with a slice of sausage and pepperoni pizza. To hungry to care what he could have added to it, she took a bite of the pizza. Everything looked and tasted normal so she finished off three slices before she was full.

"Thanks, Gir." He smiled with his tongue sticking out before running to the couch and started watching T.V. yet again. If Gir had a brain, Rayne was sure it would be fried by now. Rayne giggled at the little robot before looking back towards the disguised elevator. _It's now or never._ She stepped in the garbage can and descended down to look for Zim.


	13. Feelings shared Lemon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains LEMON, I will mark when it starts so you can skip it if you want. It took me forever to work on this scene because it is my first lemon and I hope you like it. Review and tell me what you think. I have given you fair warning so DO NOT FLAG OR FLAME. Thank you and, as always, ENJOY!**

**Chapter 13**

Rayne stood in the entrance of the lab, scanning for any sign of Zim but couldn't see him. She walked around in search of the invader, all the while staring at all the strange technology. It took every ounce of her being not to touch anything, thinking that she might break something by accident. She found Zim leaning over a workbench with his PAK on it. Zim heard her come in and glanced at her before returning to his task.

"There is some minor damage that was inflicted to it during the struggle the other day, I'm simply repairing it." He explained, keeping his eyes on what he was doing. After finishing, he turned around and it reattached itself to his back.

"Did you get something to eat?" He asked, his back still turned to her as he put his equipment away. She didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to him and hugged him tightly, pressing her face into his back; he stiffened at the sudden action.

"Thank you for saving my life, Zim." She whispered. Zim relaxed, pulled her wrists off of him before turning around and hugging her back.

"Don't worry about it. It was nothing." He stroked her head as she hugged him. She took a deep breath, taking in his scent, and looked up at him.

"Why did you save me?" She asked, her brown eyes staring into his red ones, searching for an answer.

"Does Zim need a reason?" He had a point, though it wasn't the answer she was looking for. Remembering something, she let go of him and backed up.

"Are you going to reattach that chip to me?" She seemed a little worried of the answer but she stayed where she was. Zim frowned and reached for something in his PAK and held it out to her. She glanced down to see the chip, broken into pieces.

"Oh, so it was smashed?"

"No, I destroyed it." Rayne looked up at him in astonishment.

"You are no longer Zim's slave; you are free to go if you wish." Rayne couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was releasing her? Why would he do that? She couldn't understand what was happening, but she stayed where she was. Zim looked at her in confusion.

"Did you hear what Zim said, I said you can-"

"I heard what you said but I don't want to leave." She gave him a small smile.

"Why, after all that Zim has done to you, why would you stay another minute?" He couldn't fathom any reason she would want anything more to do with him. Sure, he had saved her life, but that didn't erased anything. Nevertheless, there she was, not budging from where she stood.

_I have to tell him now, there is no going back. It doesn't matter what he did in the past, that doesn't stop me from feeling this way._ She gathered up all the courage she had and took a deep breath.

"I'm staying because I…that is I…uh." After all that, she still couldn't get herself to say it. There was no way he would accept her feelings. What was she thinking?

"You what, what insane reason could you possibly have?" Zim spat, making Rayne angry.

"I'm staying because I love you!" Realizing what she just said, her hands covered her mouth and she blushed ten shades of red. Zim stared at her in disbelief. _She…she loves me? She actually loves me?_

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She turned on her heels and was about to bolt when she felt a firm grip on her wrist pull her back. Zim spun her back around and planted his lips onto hers. After they parted, Zim smiled down at her.

"I didn't think you would return Zim's feelings." He smiled.

"Do you mean…?" Rayne trailed off, not able to find her own words.

"Yes, it would seem that Zim is in love with you too." Rayne couldn't contain herself; she kissed Zim roughly, pouring as much passion into it as possible. Zim smirked and kissed back with just as much passion.

Lemon starts

He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, remembering their last encounter. Rayne smiled and denied him access, deciding to tease him. Letting out a small growl, Zim gripped her backside and clawed at it gently. Rayne gasped, giving Zim access to her mouth as their tongues wrestled for dominance. Zim, not surprisingly, triumphed and explored her mouth, loving the taste of it. Rayne felt her body heat up as she felt Zim's body press up against hers, pushing her back up against the wall.

Finally coming up for air, Zim started kissing the delicate flesh of her neck earning small moans from the girl. Liking those sounds, Zim bit down on her neck, and then kissed the abused flesh. Rayne gasped in pleasure as he continued to leave hickeys on her neck and collar bone. Rayne reached up and stroked his antennae; Zim let out a groan at her touch. After a while, Zim couldn't stand it anymore. His instincts screamed at him to dominate her, to make her submit to him completely; to claim her as his.

His PAK opened up and one of his spider legs emerged, the end opening up into three claws, the leg grabbed Rayne's wrists and pinned them above her head. Rayne's gasped at the action, barley realizing what had happened before Zim was attacking her mouth with his once again. He pulled his gloves off and his hands found their way to the hem of her shirt and slowly slid them up her stomach, coming closer to her chest. He knew what he was doing, remembering what they taught the kids in sex-ed he found out that the human body was almost exactly the same as an Irkan's; not only that but their methods of mating were the same as well, making it easier for Zim to know just how to pleasure her.

"Hnn." Rayne moaned at his touch, feeling his three fingered hands rub against her stomach. Zim smirked down at her, the expression on her face made it harder to control himself. His hand made it to her bra and he gripped her breasts through the thin material. Rayne arched her back and gasped in pleasure. Another spider leg appeared and he lifted it under her shirt and bra. With one quick swipe, the material was ripped in half, revealing her entire torso to him. Rayne squeaked in surprise and struggled under his stare, unconsciously trying to pull her hands down to cover herself. He gripped her breasts, and kneaded them, causing Rayne to shiver at the contact. He then pinched one of the pick buds gently between his claws and brought his mouth over the other and nibbled on it slightly before switching and giving the other breast the same treatment.

Rayne's mind was swimming as it felt like her knees would buckle if the metal leg wasn't holding her in place. She loved the feeling of being touched like this by the dominating male. She thrust her hips forward, that area demanding attention. Zim took the hint and reached a hand down to her shorts and unbuttoned them. The shorts fell to the floor, leaving her only in her underwear. Zim pulled back to examine her body. Liking what he saw he pulled off his shirt and discarded it. Rayne gasped at the sight of his bare torso. He had no nipples or belly button, but his sculpted chest and his toned muscles made Rayne practically drool. _Damn he's hot!_ She thought. Zim smiled and brought his chest to hers. She shivered at the feel of his smooth skin rubbing against hers. Zim grinned at her reaction and brought his mouth closer to her ear.

"I want to hear you beg." He smirked, wanting her to fully submit to him before her claimed her. Not wanting to seem weak, Rayne shook her head in defiance, not trusting her own words. Zim just chuckled.

"Don't worry; I'll make you beg for Zim." He whispered maniacally into her ear, making her tremble and squirm a bit. He ran his hand down to her underwear and slipped it under the waistband. Rayne nearly cried out when she felt him rub his claws against her most sensitive area. Then without warning, he pushed two fingers inside of her and slowly pumped them back and forth. Rayne cried out in sheer bliss as the motion almost sent her over the edge. She tried to thrust her hips to get him to go faster, but he held her hips firmly against the wall.

"Beg Zim." He ordered, slowing his fingers even more. Rayne knew she wouldn't last much longer so she gave in.

"Fuck, Zim p-please. I n-need you." Zim smiled in triumph as he withdrew his fingers and stripped her of her last piece of clothing. He pulled down his pants and lifted her hips, wrapping her legs around his waist. Rayne looked down at Zim's large member. It looked exactly like a human's, minus it being green.

"Are you ready?" Zim asked. Rayne nodded nervously. This was her first time and she knew that the first time hurt so she braced herself as Zim slowly slid in. Rayne winced in pain and Zim froze, letting her adjust. After several minutes, he started slowly moving. The pain washed away and was replaced by sheer pleasure. Rayne's moans got louder as Zim picked up the pace, she could feel herself getting closer and closer to the edge.

"Z-zim, I'm going to-" Before she could finish, her vision went white from the greatest amount of pleasure as Zim started to hit her G-spot over and over. She couldn't take it anymore, she screamed out his name as her orgasm washed over her. Feeling her walls clamp down on him, Zim came soon after and they both slid down to the floor. Zim pulled Rayne into his lap as she tried to regain her breath, feeling her energy completely drained. Zim kissed her and leaned down to her ear.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She breathed out before falling asleep in his arms.


	14. Transmission

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Sorry this is a bit late; I have some school stuff I need to take care of. Anyway, no one really seems to know what the Meekrobs look like so I'm going to wing it. How I describe them is probably not what they look like so don't ask how I know.**

**Chapter 14**

Zim was startled when he heard the doorbell. He looked down to see Rayne still asleep in his arms and gave her a small shake.

"There's someone at the door." He stated softly.

Rayne glanced up at him with sleepy eyes, then down at her torn shirt. "I should probably grab another shirt then." She reluctantly got up, kissed Zim and walked out of the room. Zim put on his disguise and made his way to the kitchen and over to the door. He pressed a secret button, making the door see-through and saw Dib and his sister, Gaz, standing on the other side. Opening the door, he gave Dib a questionable look.

"What do you want, human?"

"Don't bother us Zim, we're here to see Rayne, not you." Gaz scowled and Zim backed off, not wanting to anger her. They entered the house to see Rayne walking out of the kitchen.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked.

"We came to see if you were okay." Dib explained, giving Zim a strange look.

"I'm fine you guys, but thanks for checking." Rayne grinned, appreciating that they cared enough to check on her.

"So, what did that guy do to you?" Gaz asked, referring to the man in the alley.

"Gaz, don't ask that!" Dib protested.

"It's fine Dib." Rayne reassured him. She told them everything that she could remember from that frightful night.

"Oh my God Rayne, thank goodness Zim came around when he did." Gaz said, actually showing concern for once in her life.

"Where were you going that was so important to wander around by yourself like that?" Dib asked and Rayne froze. She looked at Zim to see he had the same questionable look on his face. Rayne stared at the floor; she was hoping they wouldn't ask that question. She felt all eyes on her, waiting for her answer.

"I was heading for Zim's house." _Damn me being so honest._ She thought.

Everyone looked shocked but not as shocked as Zim. "Why were you coming here?" Gaz asked, almost sounding like she already knew the answer. Before Rayne could say anything, an alarm went off.

"Warning, incoming transmission." The computer announced.

"From who?" Zim demanded.

"The transmission is coming from the location of Invader Stink but it is using the TEC." It answered.

"What?" Zim's face looked grim.

"What's the TEC?" Dib asked. Zim thought about if he should answer him, but Dib was the least of his worries right now.

"The TEC is the Tallest Emergency Code. It is only used when there is an emergency of the highest urgency. Computer, direct the transmission to the main part of the house." Zim yelled.

A screen appeared in the wall and the four saw an Irken in a black uniform standing in the center of it.

"This is a message meant to be transmitted to all Irken Invaders." The transmission was obviously a recording. "All Invaders must report to the Massive immediately. The Massive is under attack by the Meekrob fleet. They have declared war." Zim stared at the screen in disbelief.

"All Invaders are ordered to gather their allies and head for the Massive. The last coordinate of the Massive have been sent, but it is advised that you report to Massive's original destination. Coordinates 5634-E57C. I repeat: all Invaders must repor-" Zim cut the transmission.

"This is bad, this is very bad." Zim muttered.

"I don't understand, what's happening? Who are the Meekrobs?" Dib questioned.

"They are an alien race that we Irkens have been fighting for centuries. They want what Irkens want and that is to rule over the universe." Zim explained.

"Well that's kind of good, isn't it? I mean your people want to enslave the universe, right?" Dib said cautiously.

Zim gave him an angry glare. "Don't speak as if you know our ways or motives, human. Besides, the Meekrobs are far worse." Zim snapped. Rayne put a hand on his shoulder and he calmed down.

"How are they worse?" She asked.

"The Meekrobs plan on destroying other alien life, using their resources for themselves." Dibs eyes widened.

"If the Meekrobs claim victory in the war you can say goodbye to life as you know it." Zim said matter-of-factly.

"Well that's just great; we either have the choice of being enslaved or being destroyed. I don't know which is worse." Dib exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. Gaz gave him a hard smack to the head.

"Didn't you hear the transmission at all?" She yelled; he looked at her in confusion.

She groaned before turning to Zim. "Do the Irkens have any allies?"

"Yes, some races that help the Irken race in some way are given the option of a peace treaty, stating that the allies' home planet will be under the protection of the Irken Armada and not be marked for invasion."

Gaz gave an evil smile as she came up with a plan. "What if we help you fight the Meekrobs? Will we be able to make a treaty with your people?" Zim thought for a moment, looking at Rayne the whole time. _It would give me an excuse not to harm the humans. That way Rayne would be safe._ He couldn't handle the thought of Rayne being enslaved because of him.

"I can't see any reason why the humans would be denied." Zim stated. Rayne smiled widely, Zim was actually thinking about abandoning his mission to take over Earth. Dib's eyes bulged out.

"Are you serious?" He yelled. Zim nodded.

"But that doesn't mean it won't be dangerous. The humans that aid us could die." Zim said.

"Are you stupid or something? I was talking about the three of us going with you, not some random people." Gaz said.

"No, I will not allow it, it is too dangerous." Zim hollered. Dib, looked at Zim then to Rayne, understanding why he would refuse.

"We're not letting you go out there alone." Rayne said sternly.

"Zim will not risk your safety!" He yelled back. Rayne stared at him.

"Wait, why would you care about her safety, Zim?" Gaz asked.

"Well I uh um…" He face turned a darker shade of green and Gaz burst out laughing.

"Oh this is precious, you can't be serious. You two are...?" She went back to laughing and both Rayne's and Zim's face flushed. Gaz was always able to read people very well, she just decided to not care most of the time.

"I take it you told her?" Dib asked, looking like he was trying not to laugh as well. Zim turned away with a 'humph'.

"Well, that explains why you were coming here to Zim's house that night. You two are together." Gaz said.

"Actually, I came to his house to tell him that I…uh."

"Love him?" Gaz smirked. Rayne blushed.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Dib asked.

"There is nothing to discuss. You three are not going and that's final." Zim announced.

"I love this show." The four of them turned around to see Gir sitting on the floor watching them.

"GIR, what are you doing?" Zim demanded.

"Nothing." He said.

"Where have you been all this time?" Rayne asked.

Gir ignored her and started laughing. "Master and pretty lady are in loooove. I saw them yesterday. They were-"

Zim ran over to Gir and covered his mouth.

"What was that about?" Dib asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Zim answered quickly. He couldn't believe Gir walked in on them last night without making a sound. He dropped Gir and he ran out of the room, giggling.

Zim received weird looks from both Gaz and Dib and he started to get nervous. The two seemed to shrug it off and Zim breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"So, what supplies do you think we'll need?" Rayne asked the other two, completely ignoring Zim's protests.

"I don't know. I don't even know what the Meekrobs look like, let alone how to fight them." Dib answered.

"Computer, could you please bring up all information you have on the Meekrobs?" Rayne asked.

"Well, since you asked nicely." The screen came up again and displayed a bunch of information. Zim was astounded that the computer even listened to her. It was as if everyone was against him. He sighed irritably, knowing he wasn't going to get his way, and joined the group. Rayne looked at the picture of the alien on the screen. They were tall, ranging from about five and a half to six feet. They had dark blue skin and two, pure black eyes. They had small snout like mouths, kind of like an anteater only not as long and their hands were the same as Irken's, three fingered claws, only longer. The three looked at the text next to the picture.

"I can't read any of it." Gaz said.

"That's because it's all in Irken." Zim stated. "It says that Meekrobs are an intelligent, technological race; much like Irkens but are usually taller. Their agility is close to Irkens but not quite our level; their senses are a bit duller then ours as well. In fact, their senses and agility more closely resemble that of you humans."

"So if they are slower and less keen to everything, what makes them a threat to you?" Rayne asked.

"That is where it gets complicated." Zim stated coolly. "They are not only much stronger than us, but they have a clear, gelatinous membrane that covers most of their bodies which makes them all but immune to standard issue blasters."

"So how have your people been able to fight them all this time?" Dib asked.

"We usually use our superior agility to fight them at close range." Zim answered.

"Wait, you said it covered _most_ of their body. So are there weak points anywhere on them?" Gaz inquired.

Zim nodded. "Autopsies on their species showed us that there is a large opening in their upper torso, but they almost always have thick armor covering that area." He confirmed. "That is where the close combat comes in; we usually go for the armor and remove it so they are left wide open for us to use our blasters."

"So the trick is to be quick and to kill them-" Dib started.

"Before they kill you." Zim finished. The three looked at each other with uncertainty. This was not going to be easy, but it was the only way they were not only going to save their planet, but also their own lives.


	15. Humiliation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I've decided to keep the Meekrobs the way I described them just to make things easier. Again, sorry I'm a little slow with the updates. I have a project that I have to work on, but it will get better after it is done. Now, back to the story and ENJOY!**

**Chapter 15**

Zim was with his ship, making last minute repairs to the Voot. He was thankful that he had modified the ship to account for his new height several months ago. It was larger and could easily fit two people, but that was where the problem came in; it could not hold four.

"Well, I have bad news. My ship can only hold two of us, not including Gir." Zim stated, turning to the small group.

"We could always use Tak's old ship, its big enough to hold Gaz and myself. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get it to run properly." Dib said, bleakly. Zim rubbed his head in thought.

"Who is Tak? And you have a spaceship?" Rayne asked Dib.

"I will tell you about it later." Zim promised before turning back to Dib.

"Zim could probably get it to run. I'll send a tow vehicle to bring it back here." He pressed a few buttons and a large dome-like platform floated down from the ceiling.

"Use this to carry it here." He instructed Dib.

"Wait, how am I going to drag this around without anyone suspecting something? Couldn't you disguise it a little better somehow?" Dib asked, pointing to the craft.

"I doubt anyone would really notice, but if you insist." Zim smirked and grabbed the control stick. He pushed a button and the carrier transformed into a giant floating pig.

"Knock yourself out." Zim handed the control to Dib. Rayne and Gaz instantly started laughing hysterically.

"Wait, I can't take this thing out. Zim come on." Dib whined. Zim walked back over to his ship, laughing maniacally as he did.

"Damn it all. Fine, I'll be back." He said in defeat and stomped out of the room, dragging the giant pig behind him. Rayne couldn't stop laughing; the thing was utterly ridiculous and seeing Dib pull it along made it worse.

"Now that was funny." Gaz admitted, still chuckling to herself.

"Hey, Zim, how do you expect us to fight them? We don't have the military training that you do." Rayne asked, getting back on track.

"Dib seems to be okay on that front, after all the years of us fighting each other. So that leaves you two."

"I know how to fight, don't worry about that." Gaz stated. Zim looked at her skeptically. She was skinny and almost had no muscle, plus she was also about an inch shorter than Rayne. She looked as if she couldn't fight a Vortian with no arms, let alone a Meekrob soldier.

"Okay let me see what you can do." Zim said.

He stood in front of her in a fighting stance but Gaz just stood there with her arms crossed. Zim punched at her, not intending to actually hit her. It wouldn't have mattered. As quick as a flash, Gaz grabbed his arm and somehow managed to flip him over her body and onto the floor with a loud thud.

"What happened? I blinked and it was over." Rayne teased. Zim gave her a hard glare before pushing himself off the ground and brushed himself off.

"Fine, Zim will admit that you have _some_ skill." He said. Gaz just smirked, knowing that she bruised his ego.

"So that leaves you, Rayne. I'm already aware that you don't have any experience in combat." Zim smiled, recalling their past encounters. Rayne turned away pouting and Zim chuckled.

"Don't worry Rayne, I'll show you a thing or two. That way you can beat on Zim whenever he does something wrong." Gaz reassured her while smirking in Zim's direction.

"Hey!" Zim yelled but Gaz ignored him.

Zim scowled and turned back to his work. After about five minutes, Dib returned panting.

"I got the ship." He said in between gasps.

"Why are you out of breath, Dib?" Rayne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like hell I was going to let anyone see me with this thing, so I ran the whole way."

Rayne stifled her laugh but Gaz didn't even try as she was rolling on the floor laughing again.

"Shut up!" Dib yelled, still holding the giant pig. A flash of light came from behind the girls and they looked to see Zim with a camera.

"Hey, what was that for?" Dib asked, rubbing his eyes because of the blinding light.

"Oh nothing, Zim just thought that it would be funny if our fellow classmates at school saw this." He smirked.

"You wouldn't dare!" Dib threatened.

"Maybe I will and maybe I won't." He taunted, storing the camera in his PAK and out of Dib's reach.

Dib glared at Zim, murderously, and was about to pounce on him when Rayne stepped between them.

"Guys, I think we have more important things to focus on right now." She pointed out. "Zim, how long do you think it will take to fix Dib's ship?" Zim grabbed the control from Dib and opened the carrier, revealing the other Irken ship. Zim pulled out a scanner and a green light engulfed the ship. The light disappeared and Zim looked down at the scanner.

"It will take about two days, tops. That will give you time to prepare." Zim explained.

"Where are we going exactly? How long will it take to get there?" Asked Dib.

"Computer, what is the location of coordinates 5634-E57C?" He questioned, remembering the location from the transmission.

"Location of coordinates 5634-E57C is planet Judgmentia." It answered.

"Why would they be heading there?" Zim thought out loud.

"What is Judgmentia?" Rayne asked.

"It is a planet where one of the Control Brains passes judgment on a decision that the Tallest have made. The most common use of it is for an Irken to be put on trial for a serious crime, but the Tallest always announce those kinds of things to all Irkens, even the invaders."

"So what does that mean?" Dib asked.

"It usually means that the Tallest were going to receive council about something very secret and very important." Zim explained. _But they haven't done something like this since I was a smeet. What on Irk is going on?_

"How far is the planet?" Gaz asked, interrupting Zim's thoughts.

"It would usually take about two earth months to get there. But I have discovered several wormholes that could get us there in one week."

"Then we better get started on our preparations." Rayne said.

"GIR!" Zim called out, startling the others a little. The little robot ran into the room and saluted his master, eyes turning red.

"Yes my master." He said.

"I need your help with some repairs, alright?" He asked. Gir's eyes turned back to their normal cyan color.

"Can I make tacos?" He asked, unaware of the urgency of the situation.

"Gir, I need you to concentrate. This is important."

"Let me try." Rayne said, putting a hand on Zim's shoulder before crouching in front of Gir.

"Gir, could you please help Zim with everything he needs. We really need your help." She said softly. Gir saluted, eyes turning red again.

"We'll see if he can actually do it right." Zim said, leading Gir over to Dib's ship.

"Wait, what are we going to do about dad?" Dib asked Gaz.

"Do you honestly think he will notice us being gone?" She inquired.

"I guess you're right." Dib agreed, remembering just how busy their dad always was. They could be gone for months and the professor would be none the wiser.

"So Rayne, would you like to get started?" Gaz asked. Rayne nodded. They only had two days so she had to work hard if she was going to be any help to Zim or anyone.


	16. Devastation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Sorry for the wait; I've been really busy. But anyway, back to the story!**

**Chapter 16**

Two days flew by and everyone was on edge; even Gir felt something was off and stayed quiet most of the time. Zim had finally fixed the ship, not only in repairs but modifications as well. The armor was more heavily fortified and he added a few, more powerful weapons as well. Gaz and Rayne had been working nonstop on Rayne's training; Dib also helped out when he wasn't helping Zim with preparations for the trip or learning how to pilot the ship. Dib was able to pick up on how to fly it fairly quickly because of his past knowledge on Irken technology that he acquired from years of infiltrating Zim's base. Zim also found the time to modify Gir somewhat; this included having him obey his orders a little more often as well as a newly developed combat program that Zim designed and uploaded to him.

"Is everything ready?" Rayne asked. Zim went over the checklist. They seemed to have everything they needed. Zim nodded in response to her question.

"Alright, it will take about a week to get there so make sure you're ready when we arrived." Zim said, looking at the others.

"Just throwing this out there, but do we get any weapons?" Dib asked, hopefully.

"There are firearms already on the ships in labeled containers. Dib, I have already shown you how to work one yesterday so be sure to show Gaz on the way. Just don't fire them off while in the ship or you might accidently explode. Zim will see to teaching Rayne how to use it as well as continuing her combat training." Zim answered. Dib nodded nervously.

"How are we going to do that? There isn't enough room on the ship for training." Rayne pointed out.

"I have a holographic simulator that we can use, so there is no need for a lot of space." He reassured her. "Dib, I'm sure you're familiar with the simulator." Zim snickered, remembering the time when he used it on Dib to find out if he was the one that threw a muffin at him at school years ago. Dib just glared at Zim as Zim chuckled.

"Okay enough talking, everyone into the ships." Zim commanded and Dib and Gaz jumped into their ship.

"Gir, you're with those two, if anything goes wrong, I want you there if repairs are needed." Zim ordered.

"Yes sir." The robot saluted and happily jumped into the ship with Dib and Gaz.

"This is going to be fun." Gaz smirked. Dib rolled his eyes and started the ship. Rayne and Zim jumped into his Voot as the engines roared to life. The two spaceships hovered in the air as Zim's base opened up at the top, revealing the night sky. Before they knew it, they were quickly shooting into the air, Zim's base getting smaller and smaller until it was completely out of sight.

"Wow, it's so beautiful." Rayne said in awe, looking out the window at her home planet. A container opened up on the controls and Zim contacted the others, Dib appearing on the screen.

"There are communicators in the containers that I want everyone to have at all times in case of separation."

"How do you put it on?" Dib asked, looking at the small round device that he pulled out of an identical container.

"Place it on the side of your neck." Zim instructed. Dib did so and when he did a strap wrapped snugly around his neck and an earpiece shot out and into his ear. Dib gave a yelp in surprise and Zim started laughing. Dib gave him a hard glare, but Zim ignored it.

"Push the center button on the neck piece to turn the devise on and off." Zim said pointing at his neck. Dib pushed the button and spoke.

"Is it working?" His voice came from both the screen and the communicator that Zim was now holding.

"Yes it is. When we arrive, I want everyone to turn theirs on." With that he cut the transmission.

"What about you, do you have one?" Rayne asked, noticing that there was only one communicator.

"Zim's PAK already has a communicator. It is set to the same frequency as this." He explained, holding the communicator to Rayne. "The same goes for Gir." He finished. Rayne took the communicator and placed it on her neck; it wrapped around her neck, just like it did with Dib, and the earpiece placed itself in her right ear.

Zim turned back to the controls while Rayne watched the planets zoom by out her window.

"We must be the first humans to travel out this far, this is so cool." She sighed. Zim smiled at her reaction. When they past Neptune the controls started beeping in warning.

"We are almost at the wormhole." He announced. A large tunnel opened up in front of them; Rayne stared in amazement. They entered the wormhole and all Rayne could see was a tunnel of white and blue swirling all around them.

"Cool." She whispered to herself.

"Now we wait." Zim said.

"So since we have time, can you tell me what exactly a 'Control Brain' is? And who is Tak, and how did Dib get that ship?" Rayne asked, staring at Zim intently. Zim activated the autopilot and turned to face her.

"The Control Brains are machines that run almost everything in the empire; from running the smeet hatching facilities to judging criminals. As for your other questions, let me start from when Zim first landed on Earth. It happened eight earth years ago." Zim began.

* * *

Zim told Rayne many stories; like when he first met Dib and the time they both turned into giant bolognas. Dib had told her some of these stories, but it was amusing to hear them from Zim's perspective. After a week of exchanging stories and training, they finally reached the end of the wormhole. The wormhole opened up and the two ships exited to find nothing but debris from ships all around them.

"What happened here?" Rayne asked.

"That's what we need to find out. But from the looks of it, we are the first ones to arrive after the transmission was sent." Zim looked around the field of remains before spotting an enormous Irken ship with blaster scoring all over it.

"Dear Irk, that's the Massive." Zim said in shock of the scene in front of them. _Where are the Tallest, did they escape?_ A voice came through his communicator.

"Zim, my scanners are showing that about three ships are heading right for us." Dib said. Zim looked at his scanner, recognizing the code.

"Those are Meekrob scout ships, be ready." Zim said, sitting at the controls. Just then, the ships came into view and immediately started firing at them. Rayne took a seat and buckled herself in as Zim veered away from the blasts.

"Shit!" He yelled. Zim pushed an assortment of buttons and the Voot fired lasers at the ships. The ships dodged and returned fire again, heading towards them. Zim smirked as he dodged to the left of one of them, pushed another button and two cannons appeared at the bottom of the Voot. They charged up blue spheres of energy and fired at the ship, destroying it instantly. Another explosion rang out behind them.

"Zim, I destroyed one but there still is one left." Dib said.

"Don't let it get away; we don't want to alert the enemy of our presence here." Zim commanded as he tried to lock on to the last ship.

"I can't get a lock." Dib yelled as he tried to catch up to the enemy ship.

"Let me try." Zim heard Gaz say. Dib's ship sped up and expertly shot in front of the enemy ship, causing it to slow down long enough for them to get in range, and shot it down. The ship flew out of control and crashed into a large chunk of debris, exploding on impact.

"That's how you do it." Gaz gloated, her mass amount of game playing coming in handy.

"Nice one, Gaz." Rayne complimented through her communicator.

"Dib, I want you to follow me, we need to search the Massive for any clues on what happened to the Tallest." Zim said. Zim led them to the docking bay and they landed the ships. They exited their ships, guns in hand.

"Follow me." Zim ordered and ran off through a big door. They made their way through the ship, bodies of both Irken and Meekrob soldiers filled the halls. Rayne forced herself to look away and continue on, trying not to feel sick. Zim reached the bridge, seeing no sign of the Irken leaders anywhere. _Where could they be? _He thought as he turned to Gir.

"Gir, scan the ship for any signs of life."

"No life detected." Gir said, his eyes glowing red. Zim sighed in defeat. _Were we too late?_

"Wait, scanners are picking up a small life signature." Gir continued.

"Where is it?" Rayne asked.

"It's this way." Gir said in a squeaky voice as he ran off down a random hallway. The four looked at each other before running after the robot. Gir led them to a storage room that was full of all kinds of Irken snacks.

"It's in here." Gir smiled. They cautiously entered the room, guns at the ready. So many large boxes made it easy for someone to hide, so the group watched each side in case it was an enemy. Just then, a shadow flashed across a few boxes.

"Who's there?" Zim yelled, aiming his laser in the figure's direction.

"Zim, is that you?" Asked a voice coming from some boxes of donuts.

"Show yourself." Zim demanded. The figure slowly came out of its hiding place and revealed itself. Zim lowered his weapon and widened his eyes in astonishment. It was Tallest Purple.


	17. New objective

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Sorry about the wait. Reviews are appreciated so write me what you think and it's always good to hear people actually like my story. As always, ENJOY!**

**Chapter 17**

"My Tallest, are you alright? What happened? Where is Tallest Red?" Questions filled Zim's mind.

"Zim, thank Irk you're here. Things are bad, really bad." Purple said. He looked from Zim to the others.

"Who are they?" He asked, pointing at Rayne and the others.

"These are human allies that I gathered to aid us." Zim explained. Purple examined them with a blank expression before turning back to Zim.

"I take it that they wanted to make a peace treaty, correct?" Zim nodded. "Well, right now I'm in no position to argue, we need all the help we can get."

Rayne examined the tall Irken; he had the same green skin as Zim but was slightly taller and had purple eyes. She guessed this was the Tallest Purple that Zim spoke highly of on the trip here.

"The Massive was breached and Red was captured along with half the crew." Purple explained, clutching his claws together.

"How did you escape?" Dib asked. Purple glanced over at him but answered while still facing Zim.

"When the ship was breached, the Meekrobs stormed the Bridge. They were planning to capture and publicly execute us to show that they won the war." Purple paused, recalling the events that happened next. "Red grabbed me and threw me down the garbage shoot. He said if one of us escaped, then we might still have a chance. So I was able to hide in here and the Meekrobs thought I fled on one of the escape pods."

"What happened to Tallest Red?" Zim inquired. Purple lifted a hand to silence him.

"I was getting to that. I overheard one of the soldiers say that they would keep him prisoner until I was found." That was a relief, but now Zim had to figure out a way to save his beloved leader.

"Where did they take him?" Rayne asked, speaking for the first time. Purple just shook his head.

"I don't know, they might be long gone by now." He sighed. Zim pondered for a moment.

"Maybe not; on our way here we had a run in with some scout ships." Purples eyes widened, understanding what Zim was getting at.

"You think that they are close by? Why would they stay?" Purple was lost. "The Meekrobs have Red and don't think I am on the ship anymore."

"Maybe they are waiting for any ships that came looking for you, My Tallest." Zim suggested.

"It's possible." Purple agreed.

"Wait a minute." Gaz interrupted. "Something's been bugging me. How did the Meekrobs know you were here when even Zim was unaware of your whereabouts?"

Purple's eyes darted across the room in a panic. "I uh well its funny you should ask that. You see..."

"What were you doing here?" She asked. Although she was being disrespectful, Zim was curious about it as well.

"I don't need to answer you, human." Purple said, trying to put as much authority in his voice as possible.

"Tell us, now." Gaz glared and Purple's eyes widened and he nodded in terror. Rayne had to admit, Gaz could be very intimidating when she needed to be.

"Please don't hurt me." Purple cowered. _Jeez she is scary._ Zim thought.

"We were here to receive counsel from the Control Brain on an important matter that has recently been brought back to our attention. That is all you need to know; I will not go into any more detail with that. As for how the Meekrobs found out, we suspect that they may have a spy that is working for them."

"That makes things more complicated." Dib stated with his hand resting on his chin.

"I think that rescuing the Tallest is more important right now." Rayne said.

"I agree; we need a plan, but what?" Zim nodded, pacing back and forth.

"We need time to figure this out, so I suggest we stay here for the time being." Gaz said.

Zim nodded in agreement. "We'll rest here for now." He bowed to his leader and headed towards the door. He needed somewhere quiet to think.

"Well, it seems that the right thing to do now is to at least ask you three your names. You know, since you guys will be hanging around." Purple sighed, facing the three humans.

"I'm Dib and this is my sister Gaz." Dib stated and Gaz nodded in her way of a greeting.

"And I'm Rayne, nice to meet you, sir." Rayne said in her usual polite manner.

"TACOS!" Gir screamed.

"Hey, you're the little S.I.R. unit we gave to Zim." Purple said, recognizing the hyperactive robot. Gir just jumped up and down while giggling.

Rayne smiled then glanced over to the door that Zim had just taken. Purple noticed her from the corner of his eye; she looked distracted by something.

"I'm going to go check on Zim." Rayne said as she made her way over to the door to follow after Zim.

"I'm amazed Zim was able to find any help from humans; and even more amazed that he even agreed to let you ask for a peace treaty." Purple said, he couldn't think of why Zim would ever ask for help from the people he intended to conquer. It was hard enough to imagine Zim asking for assistance with anything at all from anyone to begin with.

"Maybe he just had a change of heart." Dib smiled, knowing the real reason.

"You think so?" Purple stated more than asked. He had noticed the quick glance Zim gave the Rayne girl before leaving the room. Was it because of her? Purple couldn't be sure of it, but he had a feeling that there was more to it than he imagined.

* * *

Rayne found Zim back in the docking bay, sitting in the cockpit of his ship. He looked up to see Rayne walk in; his face was hard to read.

"You okay Zim?" She asked softly. Zim jumped down from the ship and walked towards the window.

"Things aren't looking to well; it's bad enough that they breached the Massive's defensives, but also to capture one of my people's leaders. Zim is starting to think that my Tallest is right and that there is someone working against the empire." His head hung low. Rayne knew he was concerned for his leader and his people, no matter how much he would probably deny it. She made her way to him and draped her arms around his shoulders in a gentle embrace.

"It's not all bad; you found one of your leaders, which means that there is still hope. And don't worry; you have us to back you up every step of the way." She smiled. Zim spun around in her arms to face her.

"Thank you, Rayne." He kissed her softly.

"You're welcome." She giggled, giving him a small kiss in return. They broke apart just in time before the others rushed in the large room.

"Zim, we think we know how to find your other leader." Dib claimed.


	18. Operation rescue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I am so very sorry that it took so long to post this chapter. I had stuff to do and I also had to write the next few chapters. I'll post them when I finish editing them. I am also sorry for any errors you find. I usually don't find the small errors until after I post the chapter. Anyways, review and ENJOY!**

**Chapter 18**

The group made their way back towards the Bridge and Zim sat at one of the computers. Apparently, the Massive has a tracker zeroed in on all Irkens at all times, just in case one went missing or went in to hiding for a crime. The only ones able to access the database were the Tallest themselves.

"Will the other Tallest even be listed?" Rayne asked.

"All Irken's PAKs are registered into the database when they are smeets so Red should be listed." Purple clarified.

"My Tallest, I need you to enter the code." Zim said. Purple leaned over and entered the password. The computer beeped to life.

"Now, type in 'Tallest Red'." Purple instructed. Zim obeyed and the Tallest's picture was displayed on the screen. A map of the empire was shown and a little red dot flashed close to the center.

"That's strange, why would they have taken him there?" Zim voiced aloud.

"What, where is he?" Dib asked impatiently.

"It says that Tallest Red is on the surface of Judgmentia." Zim answered in complete bewilderment.

"Why go there, why not keep him on their ship?" Purple pondered, somehow having a bag of chips in his hand.

"Is there anything they would want from the planet?" Gaz asked.

"The only thing that I can think of that would be any use to them would be the information that the Control Brains possess, but all the Control Brains contain the same data banks about our people so going to any one of them would have worked." Purple suggested.

"You mean to say that any being could just waltz right in and gain access to that knowledge?" Dib sounded like he wouldn't be surprised if there was that big of a flaw in the system.

"Do you think we're stupid, human?" Purple growled. "Only our people have access to the Control Brains. Now that they have prisoners they can get in but only higher classes of Irkens have access to special files."

"So if all the Control Brains have the same data, then why didn't you just go to one that was closer to your planet? Why travel all the way out here?" Dib argued.

"Because the one on Judgmentia has information on-" Purple stopped and slapped his forehead. "Of course, how could I be so stupid?"

"What, what's wrong?" Rayne worried.

"The Judgmentia Control Brain has knowledge on not only our whole civilization, but also data on a secret project that was created almost a century ago. It was one of the reasons we were coming here in the first place." Purple was mentally kicking himself for not figuring it out earlier. If Red was here they would have already been thinking of a battle plan to stop the Meekrobs.

"Pardon me my Tallest, but what is so important about this project that the Meekrobs would want it?" Zim asked. Purple contemplated on how much he was both willing and allowed to reveal to the Irken.

"Let's just say that it could be the only chance we have in defeating the Meekrobs at this point."

The others just stared at the Tallest. What could it be that could give them such an advantage in the war?

"Do you think that the spy told the Meekrobs about this as well?" Gaz asked.

"I'm not sure how they could have found out. The project was a well kept secret that only the most trusted of our race were aware of." Purple explained.

"Is it possible that one of those individuals could be behind this?" Dib asked.

"It's impossible; the Irkens that knew of it were the ones involved with the project. There were only three of them. One was captured and executed for plotting against and murdering the previous Tallest, who were the other two involved in the project."

"Tallest Spork and Miyuki?" Zim asked. Purple nodded.

"So how do you two know about the project then?" Dib accused, referring to both Purple and Red.

"We were given this information by the Control Brain when we became Tallest." Purple said defensively.

"So there is no other way that someone could have discovered it?" Rayne asked, Purple nodded.

"I guess we'll find out sooner or later." Zim sighed. Suddenly an alarm went off.

"What's happening?" Dib yelled over the alarm.

"It means that multiple ships are approaching." Zim said, recognizing the alarm. He ran over to the scanner and sighed in relief.

"They are Irken ships; it must be the other invaders." Zim reassured them.

"Let's go meet them in the docking bay." Rayne suggested.

* * *

They arrived in the bay just as the last ship landed. There were about four dozen of them jumping out of their ships and they saluted their leader. Rayne looked around the room; the invaders were short, ranging from four to five feet tall. _Wow, Zim must be one of the taller Irkens. _She thought. Not wasting time, Purple stood in front of the crowd of invaders and explained to them what was happening; although he left out the parts that involved the project.

Out of the crowd, a short, pudgy looking Irken that Zim recognized as being Invader Scoodge spoke up.

"My Tallest, do you have a plan of attack?" He asked; all eyes now on Purple. Unfortunately, Purple was coming up blank; he had no idea of the plan.

"Pardon me my Tallest but Zim has a plan." Zim smirked. Purple hesitated then nodded for Zim to share his idea to the group.

"I would like you all to listen to what Zim has to say." Purple announced. Whispers flooded the crowd when they heard the Irken's name. Rayne figured that they all knew Zim, remembering the stories Zim told her about his past on Irk.

The whispers from the crowd finally died down and Zim spoke. "So, we know the location of our Tallest, but we do not know the defenses of the enemy. What I, Zim, propose is that we create a distraction to draw the enemy's fire, and then a small infiltration team will sneak passed their defenses and rescue our Tallest."

Purple and the other Irkens were amazed at the simple but brilliant plan, hardly believing it came from the former defect. Zim had matured so much that the others had a hard time believing it was the same Zim that they used to know. Zim glanced at Rayne, who gave him a reassuring smile, before he turned back towards the crowd.

"Well, that sounds like a good plan to me." Purple smiled and the other Irkens nodded in agreement.

"Are there any volunteers that are willing to lead the strike team?" Purple asked. The room was silent; no one was willing to take on the responsibility.

"I volunteer to lead the strike team." Scoodge announced, breaking the silence.

"Are any of you against Invader Scoodge leading the strike force?" Purple asked. The other Irkens spoke amongst themselves before shaking their heads.

"Scoodge, you are now in charge of the strike team." Purple said.

"Thank you, my Tallest." He bowed.

"Now, who will volunteer to lead the infiltration team?" Again nobody spoke up. They all knew that the infiltration team would be the more difficult of the two tasks.

"I volunteer to lead the infiltration team." Zim announced. Everyone looked at him in shock, thinking he was either really brave or really stupid. In the end, the invaders all agreed.

"Then it is settled. Zim, being leader, you must choose your team." Purple instructed.

"I never thought Zim would be so smart." Dib whispered to the girls.

"Yeah, no kidding." Gaz snickered. Rayne gave them both a glare before returning her attention to Zim.

Zim chose the Irkens from the group that were more skilled in short range combat, which consisted of five individuals. He also chose Rayne and the others as well. After the details of the plan were plotted out by each team, the invaders started to pile into their ships. Before Zim could lead his team to their ships, Purple grabbed his shoulder.

"I have a better idea. We have a prototype stealth troop carrier that you can use." He said. He then led Zim and his group to another section in the hanger that held a large ship that could easily fit them all.

"It has a cloaking system, much like the Megadoomer. Only now, it cloaks the passengers as well." Purple explained as the other soldiers boarded the craft. Zim entered the craft and took his seat at the controls, and then Purple sat next to him.

"Wait, my Tallest, you're not actually thinking of coming with us are you?" Zim asked as his eyes grew wide.

"As much as I don't want to, the only way to gain access to the project is if both Tallest are present." He sighed. Zim opened his mouth to argue but was silence by Purple raising his hand.

"I'm coming, that's an order." Purple commanded, trying to sound intimidating. Zim couldn't question the order, so he started the engine of the Stealth Voot and they headed towards Judgmentia.


	19. First encounter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**You guys know the drill. Review and Enjoy!**

**Chapter 19**

Zim steered the ship and noticed the Meekrob fleet orbiting the planet. He activated the cloaking devise, praying they wouldn't show up on radar. Thankfully, they seemed to not notice as the ship made its way to the planet's surface. They landed behind a few buildings across from the large structure that Red's signal was coming from. As they had feared, it was the building that held the Control Brain.

"Scoodge, we made it to the surface. Initiate phase two." Zim spoke into his communicator.

"Understood, good luck Zim." Scoodge replied.

"You too." Zim said and cut the transmission. After a few minutes, multiple Meekrob ships were taking off. _They must be heading out to support fleet._ "Gir, scan the surrounding buildings for any remaining Meekrobs."

Gir saluted and began to scan the area. "Sir, multiple enemies detected in the north structure." _Good, they are only in the building with the Control Brain. That will make escaping easier. _Zim thought.

"How many?" He asked.

"About twenty." Gir said, still in duty mode. Zim got the attention of the team and spoke so everyone could hear him.

"Alright, Zim was able to find the blueprints for the main structure." Zim reached into his PAK and pulled out a devise that displayed a hologram of the building. "There are small ventilation shafts that spread throughout the building, we will enter through there. The readings show that our Tallest is somewhere in the building but doesn't give an exact position. Now there are two likely places they may be keeping him, either in the main hall of the Control Brain or in the criminal holding cells." Zim explained, pointing to the two areas.

"What do you propose we do?" One of the Irkens questioned.

"We will split up into two groups. Five of you will follow these vents to the holding cells and the rest of us will take this route, towards the main hall." Zim said, pointing out the two paths.

"Alright let's go!" Zim commanded. He led the group to the back part of the building and they instantly found the entrance to the vents. The vents were very large, about five-by-five feet wide. The first team entered first, heading for the holding cells while Zim and the others went a different direction.

"Zim, I can barely see a thing, do you know where you're going?" Dib asked.

"You humans have such a weak sense of sight." Zim muttered to himself. "Zim can see just fine so shut your noise tube and follow me." He ordered as he made his way through the vent.

Rayne's heart was beating a million miles a minute, she was so nervous about the whole mission but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't back out now and risk everyone's safety; especially Zim's. She refused to let him down after all this. After about ten minutes, Zim stopped everyone; seeing an opening at the end of the vent. Zim crawled over and looked down through the holes. He was looking down at the main chamber and there stood two Meekrob guards and Tallest Red, who was chained up in the middle of the room. Zim also spotted another Meekrob who was wearing large plates of armor that were colored gold. _He must be the leader._ He thought.

"I am losing my patience; tell it to open the door." He boomed. His voice was deep and aggressive as he shouted at the Irken leader.

"I already told you, I can't. Not without my partner." Red yelled back.

"Then I guess we need to find him, don't we?" He smirked wickedly before giving Red a harsh punch to the stomach. The Irken crumpled over in pain but kept his composure and glared at the Meekrob leader.

"Keep him here." The leader ordered as he left the room. Zim waited a few minute to make sure he wasn't coming back before he turned to the others.

"Okay, we have no choice but to fight off the guards." He whispered. "Dib and I will go down there and attempt to rip their armor off; when we do I want Rayne and Gaz to shoot them with their blasters." They all nodded and Dib crawled right behind Zim.

Zim took out his spider legs and welded a hole through the vent before jumping down in front of the guards with Dib close behind.

"What the hell, where did you come from?" The guards grabbed at their weapons but Zim shot them out of their hands with his blaster. Angered by this, the soldiers charged at the two. Dib quickly dodged right and side kicked one in the chest, knocking him into the other.

"Take that, scum." Dib laughed. The guards recovered and charged at him, both attempting to swipe at him with their claws. Zim, using his spider legs, jumped and rammed into one of them and grabbed its arm. In the same motion, he twisted his body around and threw the Meekrob over his shoulder and slammed him on the ground. The soldier tried to sweep Zim's feet out from under him with his arm but Zim jumped up and slammed his foot down hard into the alien's chest. He glanced over to Dib to see that he was somehow hanging onto the soldier's back trying to pry the armor off. Sadly, it looked like his crude method was working. One of Zim's mechanical legs slammed into the Meekrobs armor and shot open a hole with the lasers before he was pushed off. At the same time Dib was able to pry the armor off and jump off of it, clear of the girls shot.

"Now, shoot them now." Zim called up to them. Gaz wasted no time to shoot the one that Dib had jumped off of, but Rayne just froze._ I can't shoot him. I can't._ She thought as the blaster shook in her hands. Gaz looked at her anxiously, Gaz couldn't shoot because of the angle she was at, and so only Rayne could hit him.

"Rayne!" Zim yelled, not paying attention. The guard stood up and punched Zim hard in the back of the head, causing him to black out for a second. He went down to one knee, leaving his PAK wide open.

"Zim!" He heard Rayne shout and before the guard could punch at his PAK, a blaster shot rang out. Zim looked up to see the guard fall to the floor, dead, then looked around to see who fired only to see that Rayne was still holding up a smoking blaster. Rayne's eyes widened in shock; she now realizing that she just shot the Meekrob, who was now lying in a pool of green blood. Zim sighed in relief as the girls jumped down from the vent with Purple and Gir close behind. Purple quickly ran over to the door and locked it from the inside, knowing that someone might have heard the shots. Rayne ran over to Zim, almost in tears.

"I'm so sorry I hesitated. I-"

"It's alright. Zim is just glad you shot when you did." He reassured her, rubbing the back of his head.

"I just can't believe you actually hit him. Wasn't that your first time firing a weapon at an actual target?" Gaz asked and Rayne nodded yes in response. Zim stood up and looked around for Red, spotting him in the corner. He ran over to his leader and unchained him.

"Are you alright, my Tallest?" He asked, helping him up.

"I am now. How did you get here, Zim?" He asked looking from Zim to the others.

"We came to rescue you." Purple exclaimed.

"I can see that. Who are they?" Red pointed to Dib, Rayne and Gaz.

"We'll explain later but we have to get moving right now." Dib announced.

"Not without Project Z1." Red said.

"Project what?" Gaz asked.

"Z1; it's the project that I mentioned earlier." Purple clarified.

"We're going to make BISCUITS!" Gir yelled randomly. Everyone raised an eyebrow to the little robot.

"Why do you keep that S.I.R. unit around, Zim?" Red asked.

"I don't know." Zim shrugged. "Zim is just use to his behavior, I guess." He finished. He had actually grown quite fond of the little robot, seeing as Gir was his only companion for almost eight years.

"Let's focus here for a second." Gaz grumbled, irritated by the random conversation.

"Alright, we need to ask the Control Brain for permission though." Red got up and punched in a code on the panel next to the door, opening the door to the Control Brain's chamber. The others followed them inside only to see a room coated in wires and cords. On the far side of the room was a large computer with a giant sphere shaped machine with the Irken insignia covering most of it. Rayne and Dib stared up at it in awe.

"That's the Control Brain?" They both asked at the same time. Zim nodded as the two continued to stare while Gaz just stood there looking bored. The two Tallests walked over to a platform in the center of the room.

"Tallest Red and Purple, here to seek counsel." They both said in unison.

"What counsel do you seek?" A low, mechanical voice filled the room.

"Permission to retrieve and use Project Z1. War has been declared by the Meekrob fleet." Red answered. There was a pause, as if the computer was thinking.

"Is the requirement fulfilled?" It asked.

"Requirement present." Purple assured it. A bright red light scanned the room and everyone inside.

"Requirement met, access granted." It announced. There was a loud hissing sound and a pedestal emerged from the floor, revealing a data core no bigger than Rayne's fist. _What is that thing?_ She wondered. Red grabbed the object from the pedestal and stored it in his PAK.

"Alright, we need to get back to the Massive." Purple said. Zim nodded and activated his communicator.

"Tallest Red has been successfully released, everyone report back to the ship immediately." Zim ordered, hearing a clear 'Yes Sir' on the other end. They made their way back to the vent, heading out the way they came.


	20. Secrets unraveled

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Hey everyone. I got a long chapter here for you and I hope you like it. Review and I hope you ENJOY! **

**Chapter 20**

The group met up with the rest of the team outside the entrance of the vent. They were about to head for the ship when an alarm blazed throughout the building and Meekrob soldiers ran out of the building. They heard one of the officers shout to the troops in their haste.

"The prisoner has escaped, the battle is a decoy. Find him now!" They yelled.

"Shit, we have to get out of here quickly." Zim said.

"But how? There are soldiers everywhere and from the looks of it, more are coming." Dib said pointing at the incoming ships. Zim thought for a minute, not noticing the solider that came around the corner.

"There you are." He sneered.

"Gir, defensive mode." He ordered, hoping the modifications worked. Gir's eyes flashed red and he jumped in front of the group with all types of large weapons appearing out of his head. The Meekrob took a step back, with every intention of running and warning his comrades but Zim wouldn't let him get that far.

"Fire." Gir open fire on the Meekrob and after the onslaught of laser fire, the soldier was nothing more than a pile of dust.

"I thought you said they were immune to blasters." Rayne stated.

"I said they were immune to _standard_ blasters. Those weapons were of a higher ranking." Zim corrected.

"Why didn't we use that earlier?" Dib questioned.

"Use those types of weapons in a closed space, are you mad?" Zim hollered.

"Why not?" He asked, Zim had a look of disbelief on his face.

"In smaller spaces, those weapons could have incinerated us all, if not the Tallest. Not to mention they have a cool down period of five minutes. So after that use, if we missed, it would be completely useless." Zim explained. Gir skipped back over to the group with a wide smile on his face.

"Mean man go poof." He giggled.

"Come on guys, they might have heard that." Rayne interrupted. The boys nodded and headed for the ship. They made it around the corner only to run into two more soldiers; but it was twelve to two so the odds were in their favor. The invaders charged the two and piled onto them, easily ripping of their armor and shooting them in the chest.

"Come on, we're running out of time before more come." Red said.

They all piled into the ship and Zim started the ignition. It would have been harder to leave but with the stealth system it wasn't a problem. Zim quickly contacted Scoodge and told him to order the retreat back to the Massive. He took off and almost forgot to engage the stealth mode in his haste.

"We have to regroup quickly. They are sure to ready themselves for an attack." Red explained.

Zim nodded before asking another question. "My Tallest, do you know what happened to the other captives?"

"They are probably still on their commander's ship, they only brought me so they could get their hands on Project Z1." Red said, grimly.

"Sirs, there are multiple ships directly in our flight path." One of the invaders reported.

"We best hope they don't see us." Purple prayed nervously.

The easily avoided the enemy ships and were on their way back to the Massive to join the others.

"Hey Zim?" Rayne whispered to Zim from the seat behind him.

"Yeah?" He asked in the same hushed tone, thankful that the others were unable to hear them over the commotion the invaders were making about how successful the mission had been.

"Do you think it's strange? It seemed a little too easy, you know?" She pointed out.

"I know what you mean. It almost feels like they let us go." He agreed. Rayne gave him a worried stare.

"I just hope we're wrong." She whispered to herself.

* * *

The group got back to see that a little more than seventy-five percent of the strike team returned. This, apparently, was very good in the Irkens stand point. Rayne stood to the side with Dib and Gaz as the aliens patted each other on the back for a job well done. Rayne still couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. It was a subtle voice in the back of her mind that wouldn't go away. She asked Dib and Gaz about it, but they said she was just being paranoid. Even if what they said was true, she still couldn't rid herself of the buzz in the back of her head.

"Rayne, are you okay?" She jumped, not noticing Zim approach her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She gave him a smile but he looked unconvinced.

"Zim, we need to speak with you in private." Red said as he approached them.

"As you wish, my Tallest." He bowed before turning back to Rayne. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Actually, we want you to bring her as well." Purple commanded. Confused, Zim nodded and they followed the taller Irkens towards the Bridge. Rayne walked in silence, the air was thick with anxiety. _What do they want with me?_ She never would have predicted this at all. She looked back to Dib and Gaz, both looking worried; Dib more so than Gaz. They made their way through the halls with the Tallest in front of her and Zim beside her. Seeing her uneasiness, Zim gave Rayne's hand a squeeze in reassurance and mouthed 'It's okay'. She nodded and relaxed until they reached the bridge. Once inside, the doors closed and the Tallest turned to face the two.

"Zim, there are a few things we need to speak with you about." Purple stated.

"The first is regarding the humans. Purple has informed me of your reasoning behind bringing them here; that the humans want to make a peace treaty. But we know you well enough to know that you would never allow this without a significant reason." Red pointed out. "Purple has also told me that you seem to act differently when you are around this human." He said, gesturing towards Rayne. Rayne started to stiffen. _Did they find out? Are they okay with it? What's going to happen to us? _All these questions flooded her mind. What would they do if they knew that they were together? She stole a quick glance at Zim, who looked nervous but kept his composure.

"After observing this myself I have to ask you this, Zim. Why did you ally with the humans? A month ago, you couldn't wait to destroy their planet. What changed it the last several weeks?" Red asked. Zim looked like he was having trouble coming up with an explanation and the expectant glances he was receiving from the Tallest were not helping.

"Forgive me, my Tallest, I have broken one of our forbidden laws." Zim said, kneeling down to one knee. The Tallest's eyes widened as they looked to Rayne. Rayne was now really starting to get nervous. _He did something illegal? Is being with me a crime?_

"Somehow we thought that was the case. So what exactly did you do?" Purple asked. Zim's face flushed and he avoided eye contact. He mumbled his answer so quietly that Rayne almost didn't hear him say anything at all.

"Speak up, Zim." They commanded.

"Zim has made this human his mate!" Zim shouted. The Tallest gasped and Purple looked as if he would faint any second. Rayne flushed ten shades of red, embarrassed of how Zim worded it.

"Are you serious?" Red yelled. Zim gave them a small nod.

"How did this happen?" Purple asked, still looking a bit pale.

"Do you remember the last assignments you gave me, my Tallest?" Zim asked.

"Yes, you were to find a suitable human to gather more sufficient information on their race from." Red confirmed. _Well that explains the whole enslaving me shtick._ Rayne thought.

"Well…" Zim started as his gaze rested on Rayne.

"Wait, you mean to tell us that _this_ is the human you chose?" Purple gasped, gesturing towards Rayne. Zim gave a small nod in response.

"It's hard to believe that you of all people would even become attracted to _anyone_, much less a human." Rayne almost felt insulted by Purple's comment but wisely kept her mouth shut. They were probably in enough trouble as it was without her mouthing off to the leaders. There was an awkward silence for a long time, which started to irritate Rayne. Finally breaking the silence, Red sighed and turned to Purple, whispering something. Purple whispered in response before they both faced Zim again and both Zim and Rayne tensed up.

"We are not going to punish you for this. Quite frankly we are relieved that your 'mate' is one of the more attractive of her species, based on the profiles you have shown us on different humans." Red stated. Rayne looked down in embarrassment again. "But you have to realize that the only reason we are not punishing you is because it is _you _who committed the offence_._ You are the only one we are willing to overlook, considering the circumstances. So we have no choice but to accept this human as your mate."

Rayne was astounded and, from the looks of it, Zim was even more astonished. She was also relieved to hear that the Tallest were not mad. But why would they only make the exception for Zim? There was more to this then they led on.

"Pardon me, my Tallest, but why are you being so merciful to Zim? I broke the law by mating without your blessing." Zim said standing up straight with the look of astonishment still plastered on his face.

"That is the other subject we wanted to speak with you about." Red said as he reached into his PAK and pulled out the data core he had stored earlier.

"This is Project Z1; it is a PAK enhancement that was designed to grant the user more advanced abilities." Red explained.

"What sort of abilities?" Zim asked.

"We are not sure; the only ones that knew that were the ones that created it. What we do know is that not every Irken can use it. Apparently, when it was created, they tested it on different Irkens and they all died as a result; their bodies were unable to adapt to the upgrades." Purple answered.

"Wait, I have two questions." Rayne interrupted, the two Tallest nodded for her to continue. "One, how come there were more Irkens involved when you said that the only ones that knew about it were the three that created it; and two, if the device kills the user, what makes it so important."

"I'm surprised you caught that. You're more intelligent than we thought." Purple complimented. "I lied before because it would have revealed too much about the project. There were about twenty scientists that worked on the devise. It was discovered later that only a unique bio-signature could handle the devise; many bravely gave their lives in the pursuit of finding the exact bio-signature."

Rayne nodded, understanding most of what he was saying.

"To our relief, they didn't die in vain; three of the scientists possessed the signature that could handle the device." Purple continued. "The ones that did were Tallest Spork, Tallest Miyuki and Advisor Raz. Raz was the one I spoke of earlier; he was the one that assassinated the previous Tallest and the rest of the scientists."

"But why?" Zim asked.

"Apparently he wanted the power that Project Z1 gave him, thinking he could use it to rule the empire. The only ones standing in his way were the other scientists." Red answered.

"But what Raz didn't anticipate was that Tallest Spork and Tallest Miyuki were mates and they had passed their unique signature to another." Purple smiled. "Using their own genetic material, they created a smeet that could also use the project."

Zim and Rayne nodded in understanding. From what Zim told her, smeets were created from donated DNA that was combined at random. It was very rare that a smeet's genes were manipulated intentionally. After a few seconds, Rayne and Zim caught on and they were completely shocked.

"Do you mean to say that the reason my Tallest are making an exception for Zim is because-" Zim began but was interrupted by the two Irken leaders.

"It's because the one that was created by the previous Tallest to use Project Z1was you, Zim."


	21. Mates to be

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Were you all surprised from the last chapter? Probably not, but I couldn't stop laughing from the look of shock I imagined on Zim's face; PRICELESS! Well I hope you like this next one and I love all your reviews so keep them coming. As always, ENJOY!**

**Chapter 21**

Zim couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Tallest Spork and Miyuki were the ones that made me? I'm the last that can use it? _Zim couldn't think straight. How could this be?

"You really do take after them, Zim. You have Tallest Miyuki's temper and Tallest Spork's ego and knack for getting into trouble." Red laughed.

"It's probably the reason you have gotten so tall, too." Purple added.

"Why didn't you tell Zim this from the start?" Rayne asked as she glanced at the baffled look on Zim's face. She had never seen him like that before; he almost looked like he was a statue from how stiff he was. Zim snapped himself out of his shock when he heard her question and focused back on his leaders.

"We needed Zim to become a skilled soldier before we gave him something as important as Project Z1. Not to mention that we needed approval from the Control Brain. To be honest, we never thought we would ever need to use it." Red explained while leaving out the fact that they never thought Zim would become competent either.

"Was that the requirement to get the project in the first place; that he was a skilled soldier?" Rayne asked, recalling when the two Irkens first received the devise.

"No, the requirement was that Zim was present at the time of retrieval. It was used as a failsafe to make sure it wasn't stolen, just in case Red and I were captured." Purple corrected.

Zim was about to say something when they heard a crash over by the door. Dib, Gaz and Gir accidently opened the door and fell on top of each other on the ground.

"Thanks a lot, Gir. I said _not_ to touch the controls." Dib grumbled as Gir just smiled back at him.

"Were you three eavesdropping on our conversation?" Zim growled, glaring at the three intruders.

"No, we were just-" Dib started with his hands waving defensively.

"We was spying on master and pretty lady." Gir blurted out. Zim glared harder at Dib. Dib laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. Zim stepped towards Dib, looking like he was going to murder the poor boy.

"Now Zim, let's talk this over. It's not like I haven't done it before." Dib said trying to calm the Irken down; not surprisingly, his comment didn't help. Zim pounced on Dib, yelling things like 'stupid human' and 'nosey monkey pig'. Red and Purple just looked at each other in confusion.

"Do they always do this?" Purple asked.

"Oh yeah." Rayne and Gaz said in unison as they rolled their eyes at the two boys. Gaz joined Rayne where she was standing to get out of the way of the boys wrestling on the floor.

"So, how much did you guys overhear?" Rayne questioned Gaz nervously.

"Enough." She smirked ominously. Rayne's face instantly turned bright red.

"So, you actually did it with Zim? Was it any good?" Gaz whispered and Rayne's face heated up even more.

"Gaz!" Rayne complained and Gaz laughed.

"You should have seen the look of shock on Dib's face when he heard; priceless." She teased, making it worse. _Great, now I won't ever hear the end of it._ Rayne glanced over to see Gir watching Zim pummel Dib while pulling a bag of Cheetos out of his head and eating them.

"I love this show." He squeaked. Rayne just smiled at the robot; he was so weird but Rayne loved him anyway.

"Can we get back to what we were talking about? You can beat up the big-headed earth boy later, Zim." Red said.

"MY HEAD'S NOT BIG!" Dib hollered, but was ignored while Zim got up after giving Dib one last smack to the head and walked back over to the Tallest.

"What would you have Zim do, my Tallest?" Zim asked.

Red handed the data core to Zim. "Insert it into your PAK's main hard drive. The affects won't be immediate; from what we have heard, the upgrades will kick in the next time you are in battle." Red said.

"Why would it activate then?" Gaz asked.

"We are a military race; battle is the only time when anything really counts. The project was made with soldiers in mind." Red answered.

Zim hesitantly took it and looked over to Rayne; she smiled and gave him a small nod. An arm appeared from Zim's PAK and grabbed the device, pulling it into his PAK.

"Like Red said, the affects won't be immediate." Purple repeated.

Zim nodded and bowed. "Thank you, my Tallest."

"Now, in the meantime, we need to devise a plan of attack with the other invaders and call for more reinforcements using one of their long range transmitters." Red said and the two leaders left the room.

"Well, this was all very interesting." Dib stated. Zim glared daggers at him again, still angry that they had spied.

"Anyway, all this new technology stuff aside, I think you owe your friends an explanation." Dib said turning to Rayne.

"About what?" She asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me. I heard Zim say that you we're-" He stopped himself but Rayne knew what he was about to say.

"Well, you see I- That is we uh. It isn't what it sounds like." Rayne said in a panic. _Like hell it isn't what it sounds like. Zim called me his mate. How else can that be taken?_

"Rayne doesn't need to answer you, Dib-stink. It's none of your business." Zim said, coming to Rayne's defense.

"Bullshit it isn't, Zim!" Dib yelled back at the alien.

"I knew he was going to flip out." Gaz sighed.

"Of course I'm flipping out. Why aren't you, Gaz?" Dib questioned.

"It's because it doesn't matter to me what Zim is. Rayne is happy, isn't that good enough?" Gaz said. Rayne was surprised that Gaz was not only defending her, but was okay with her and Zim. Dib opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He knew he wasn't going to win.

"You guys are such a pain." He said shaking his head.

"Only to you, Dib." Rayne laughed and Gaz snickered at the comment.

"I like DUCKS!" Gir randomly shouted then ran out of the room, giggling.

"He is so annoying, he was the one that opened the door and got us caught in the first place." Dib said.

"Then Gir did something right, for once." Zim sneered.

"I think he's cute." Rayne laughed.

"Yeah, in an irritating kind of way." Gaz added, heading for the door, followed by Dib.

The four walked down the hallway in search of the troops. "I wonder what the plan is." Dib pondered.

"To win the war." Gaz stated sarcastically.

"You know what I mean." He complained.

Rayne snickered behind the two siblings before Zim pulled her around the corner of another hallway.

"Zim, what's wrong?"

"I wanted to talk to you without those two spying again." He said motioning towards the others.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about being mates. Zim didn't think the Tallest would find out so soon." He apologized.

"It's okay." She assured him.

"Do you even know what that means?" He asked.

"It's the same as dating, right? Or is it more like what animals on Earth do?" Rayne asked.

"It's more like you are now bound to Zim…for life." Zim almost whispered the last part.

"So it's like being married?" She asked, sounding a little surprised.

"It is very similar to your race's marriage ritual, but not exactly. There are two parts to it. The second part is a ceremony that announces us as mates. I guess we are, what your people call, 'engaged'." He concurred.

"Wow, I didn't realize it was like that." She admitted. In a way, she wasn't very upset about it. In fact, she kind of liked the thought of being 'mated' to Zim. She loved him and that's what mattered, right?

"Are there rules behind being mates?" She asked.

"Only that you belong solely to me and that no male is _ever_ allowed to touch you." Zim emphasized.

"Well, as long as I'm with you, I'm okay with it. I mean, I love you and you love me so it works." Rayne smiled. Zim smiled back, delighted to hear that she accepted him as her mate, and kissed her softly. Rayne giggled and kissed back.

"We should probably get back before Dib comes looking for us." Rayne chuckled.

"Let the Dib-beast worry for a while." Zim smirked, liking his alone time with her.

"Come on, Zim." Rayne laughed, tugging at his arm.

"Fine." He pouted and Rayne laughed more as they walked down the hallway to join the others.


	22. Battle plan

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Sorry this took so long. Anyway, to make up for how late I've been I am putting an epic fight scene in the next chapter so I hope you like it. Reviews are appreciated and MANDITORY! (Well not really). Also….Wait for it…ENJOY! **

**Chapter 22 **

Zim and Rayne made their way back to the others and were thankful that Dib was too busy arguing with Gaz to notice their disappearance. Gaz, on the other hand, gave Rayne a wide smirk, hinting that she noticed. Rayne turned away and blushed slightly.

"As for you Zim, I still want to have a talk with you about it." Dib said.

"Yes, yes, whatever." Zim waved his hand, dismissively, not knowing what Dib was talking about.

"Were you even listening to me?" Dib scowled.

"Not really, no." Zim said bluntly and earned a growl from Dib. Rayne snickered at Zim's bored tone, as Dib started yelling at Zim.

"So, what was the disappearing act all about?" Gaz nudged Rayne, ignoring Dib's ranting.

"He wanted to explain something." Rayne said, hoping she wouldn't ask for details.

"About what?" She inquired, suspiciously. _Damn it!_ Rayne thought.

"He wanted to talk to me about the details of being 'mates'." Rayne half sighed, half mumbled.

"And?" Gaz pushed, knowing that Rayne didn't want her to ask. Rayne explained what Zim told her in a hushed tone and Gaz just smirked.

"Just one question." She said.

"What?"

"Can I be your maid of honor?" She teased and started snickering. Rayne gave her an irritated nudge which only made Gaz laugh more. She loved messing with Rayne almost as much as she did with Dib. Turning back to the boys, Rayne saw the aggravated look plastered on Zim's face while Dib yelled at him.

"ENOUGH! Zim doesn't need lectures from you, Dib-monkey." Zim snapped.

"Who are you calling a monkey, space boy?" Dib retorted. They went back and forth a few times before Zim, once again, pounced on Dib. _Shocker_. Rayne thought, sarcastically.

"What do you see in him?" Gaz teased yet again.

"Oh, shut up." Rayne chuckled. In a way, Rayne liked seeing Zim act childish every once in a while. She thought it was kind of cute; plus it was funny to watch.

"Come on guys, we need to get back to the others." Gaz said, giving Dib a swift kick to the side.

"Ow, damn it Gaz." He whined but they both got to their feet, not wanting to anger Gaz further. Gir appeared again and ran over to Rayne, hugging her leg and giggling. Rayne picked him up and carried him in her arms.

"Gir, where do you keep disappearing off to?" Zim asked, lifting a non-existent eyebrow. Gir just shrugged and clung to Rayne's neck, like a child. Rayne smiled and continued to walk down the hall. They found the troops in a larger room in the ship that Rayne assumed was an auditorium. All of them were looking up at the Tallest, who were standing on a elevated platform at the far end of the room with a large Irken insignia resting on the wall right above their heads. The Tallest looked over and spotted Zim and the others and dismissed all the invaders.

"It looks like we came in at the end of the meeting." Dib pointed out.

"Very observant, genius." Gaz scoffed.

Before Dib had a chance to retort at her the Tallest walked over to them.

"Zim, we have briefed the others of the situation; excluding Project Z1 of course. Reinforcements are being called from Irk and from our allies of Planet Jackers and a few Plookesians that are willing to fight." Purple announced.

"Is that all the allies you guys have?" Dib asked in disbelief.

"No, but most of our allies do not have proper militaries. We usually don't ally with species that can appose us." Red explained.

"That figures." Gaz sneered.

"How long do you think it will take for the reinforcements to get here?" Rayne asked.

"Well, since we are close to Judgmentia now then we were when we sent the first transmission; it should only take a few days." Red answered.

"But the Meekrobs may attack before then." Dib pointed out, sounding a little let down.

"We'll just have to hold out until then." Zim said.

"We have already made a plan for when that happens." Purple grinned.

"All Meekrob battle platoons have a command ship that also serves as a refueling station. So we decided that the best course of action would be to slip through their defenses and take out that ship using the Stealth Voot." Red clarified.

"How do you propose to take out one of those ships?" Dib questioned.

"We are not entirely sure, but I'm sure we'll figure it out on the way." Purple said optimistically.

"Are you serious? You plan on sending soldiers into a ship with no way of knowing how to destroy it? That's just dumb." Dib blurted out.

"Hey, do you have any better ideas, human?" Red glared. Dib thought for a moment only to come up blank.

"I guess not." He mumbled, averting his eyes to the floor.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you going to send to disable the ship?" Rayne asked.

The Tallest exchanged glances before pointing at Zim.

"Me?" Zim bellowed.

"Yes, we planned on having you and the humans take care of it. If anyone knows about sabotage and destruction, it's you, Zim. Besides, it would be a good chance to test out Project Z1." Red smiled. Zim sighed; he wasn't too keen to the idea of going into danger without knowing the risks when Rayne was going to be with him. Recalling the incident back at the main hall to the Control Brain, he knew Rayne was not entirely ready for real combat yet.

"Wouldn't it be better if Zim took some better trained soldiers into combat with me?" Zim hoped that they would heed his request.

"The humans need to prove their usefulness if they are to make a peace treaty with us." Purple said.

"Also we don't want others to know about Project Z1 just yet, in case the spy is actually among us, and someone would be more likely to find out if they followed you. Plus it will be a lot easier to infiltrate with a smaller group." Red added. Somehow Zim knew that they would refuse but it didn't hurt to try.

"Well hopefully they won't attack until the reinforcements-" Dib started when an alarm sounded and red lights started flashing.

"Warning: Enemy ships in proximity." The computer advised.

Zim shot a glare at Dib. "Hey, don't look at me; I didn't do anything." Dib said defensively. _The universe must really hate us right now. _Rayne thought. One of the invaders ran up to their group.

"My Tallest, Meekrob ships are arriving and we are outnumbered three to one." The Irken announced.

"It looks like we have another battle on our hands. Alert Invader Scoodge to have everyone report to their battle stations." Red commanded.

"Yes sir." The invader saluted before running off to pass on the message.

"Zim, you know what to do; take the Stealth Voot and make your way to the control ship. The others will deal with the rest of their forces but you'll have to be quick. We can't hold them off forever." Red ordered as Irkens ran every which way to their battle stations. Zim nodded and bowed before heading in the direction of the hanger; Rayne and the others follow close behind as they made their way through the crowd to their destination.

"Do you have any idea on how we are going to do this, Zim?" Rayne asked, sounding a little worried.

"I guess we'll have to, how you humans say, 'play it by ear'." He answered.

"We're doomed." Dib sighed, earning him a death glare from the invader. They jumped into the ship and Zim started the engine before the ramp was even closed. Rayne glaced over at Zim from her seat behind him; she knew he was nervous about the mission but also knew that hell would freeze over before he would admit that.

"Gir, I want you to scan the Meekrob's lead ship and find a weak point that we can disable it from." Zim ordered the little robot as he activated the stealth system and flew out of the hanger.

"Can I bring my taquitos?" He asked in his usual high voice.

"Focus Gir!" Zim hollered. Gir saluted and turned towards the window. Outside, the group could already see a large number of enemy ships attacking the invader's ships. Zim was somehow able to navigate them through the battle and towards an enormous brown and green craft that Rayne guessed to be the command ship.

"Scan complete." Gir announced.

"What did you find?" Zim inquired.

"BISCUITS!" Gir beamed. Zim smacked his forehead in frustration.

"Gir, did you find any weaknesses in the ship?" Rayne asked softly.

"Oh yeeeaaahhh! There's a big, shiny floating ball thingy in the middle." Gir grinned, projecting a scan of the area to the others.

"Well that was very enlightening." Dib said rolling his eyes with his arms crossed over his chest.

"That has to be the main power core." Zim clarified.

"So how do we get to it?" Gaz asked.

"Is there an emergency hatch of some sort somewhere on the ship that we can attach to?" Dib suggested.

"There!" Zim yelled while pointing to a large, round entryway at the bottom of the ship. He flew up to the entrance and pounded on a few buttons. A large tunnel shot out of the ship and attached to the entrance.

"Let's get going already." Gaz stated impatiently. They grabbed their guns and headed for the entrance.

"Gir, stay here and guard the ship." Zim commanded. Gir saluted and the four climbed up a ladder to the hatch. Dib grasped the door handle and yanked it upwards, opening the door.

"Be careful, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves." Dib said.

"Another reason why Zim left Gir behind to guard the ship." Zim stated.

"Good thinking." Dib complemented.

"Alright, the main power core should be this way." Zim pointed down a dimly lit hallway to the left. The four, slowly made their way down the hall with theirs blasters at the ready. After a couple of minutes, they heard someone coming down the hall towards them.

"Quickly, in here." Rayne whispered as she pointed to what looked to be a supply closet. She opened the door and the group slid inside just in time before the footsteps arrived at their original position. As the footsteps passed the door, Rayne backed up a little and tripped on a bucket landing right on top of Dib; elbowing him in the gut in the process. Rayne quickly slapped her hand over Dib's mouth before he could yell out in pain. Everyone froze as Rayne pleaded with herself that they were not heard.

The footsteps stopped for a moment and they feared that their cover was blown. After what seemed like hours the footsteps started up again and slowly began fading into the background. Rayne let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding and climbed off of Dib.

"That was close." Dib sighed in relief. After waiting until the steps where out of ear shot, they exited the closet and headed down the halls again.

"The power core should be just up ahead." Zim said. As they reached a large door Zim motioned everyone against the wall. He pressed a small green button and the door slid open with a loud 'whoosh'.

"It's clear." Zim whispered. They entered the room, still on alert just in case another guard decided to crash the party. The room was huge; there were computers of all shapes and sizes surrounding an enormous, floating blue orb in the middle of the room. The group was standing on some wide scaffolding that outlined the entire room with staircases that led down to each computer terminal. Rayne looked down below the scaffolding to see about a fifty foot drop to the bottom of the room.

"So, what now?" Rayne questioned.

"We need to somehow over load the power core." Zim started looking around the room for some sort of inspiration.

"Hey, you!" _Oh shit!_ Zim thought as they all spun around to spot three Meekrob soldiers standing in the doorway that they just came through.


	23. Dangerous dilemma

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Here's the next chapter, next week I will probably start posting them more frequently so hang tight. I love your reviews so keep them coming and ENJOY!**

**Chapter 23**

The group froze at the sight of the guards. Two of them were in plain, grayish-black armor while the one in the middle was slightly taller, about six foot two, and wore armor that was colored crimson. In all, they looked very intimidating.

"He said someone would come." The red Meekrob announced, sounding almost pleased. His voice was deep and thick with malice that made Rayne's skin crawl. The alien scanned the group and he started to laugh wickedly.

"So this is who those foolish Irken Tallest sent to take down my ship? I have to say, you are the most pathetic looking bunch I've ever seen. I doubt you'll be much of a workout for me and my men." He bellowed as his goons laughed along. Zim fumed at the insult.

"Who are you?" Dib asked uncouthly. The aliens just laughed at his impertinence.

"I am Lieutenant Garv, little man." Garv spat. "And you're all about to die."

His men rushed at the four as if on cue. One punched at Dib, who barely dodged, and the other was aimed at Gaz. Gaz just sidestepped like it was nothing and tripped the large alien who went crashing to the floor. Dib recovered and tried to counter the guard that attacked him by punching him in the face. Unfortunately, the Meekrob saw it coming and caught Dib's arm and twisted it into a painful arm-lock. The guard was about to snap his arm when Rayne gave him a swift round kick to the side of the head from behind. The guard grunted in pain and quickly released Dib's arm and staggered to the side.

"Thanks Rayne." Dib smiled, rubbing his arm.

"Don't mention it." Rayne smiled.

"Come on you morons, suck it up and kill them!" Garv ordered. The Meekrob that Gaz tripped swiftly sprang to his feet. The one Rayne kicked shook his dizziness off and quickly charged at Rayne, fists at the ready and looking for a little payback. He took a swing at her but she ducked just in time and jabbed him in the jaw, but he recovered almost instantly. The other guard charged at Gaz, looking for a little revenge as well only to be met with a hard kick in the gut by Zim, sending the guard stumbling back a bit but not by much. _These guys are strong, Zim wasn't kidding. _Rayne thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Zim block the soldier's punch only to get hit by a back fist and sent flying into the wall with blood now leaking down his face.

"Zim!" Rayne shouted, forgetting about her opponent for a second; big mistake. In that second, the Meekrob took the opportunity to punch her in the stomach, sending her skidding across the floor and near the edge of the scaffolding. Rayne clenched her stomach and coughed; the blow had knocked the wind out of her. As she tried to regain her breath, the soldier started walking over to her to finish the job when Dib jump kicked him in the back. The Meekrob stumbled a bit before facing Dib with eyes full of rage. While Dib was busy with the guard Garv started walking towards Rayne.

"Rayne!" Dib cried out, seeing the leader approach her while she was still hunched over. Both Dib and Gaz ran towards her only to be stopped by the two guards. Zim looked up after recovering from the previous blow to see Garv grab Rayne by the neck and lift her up, dangling her over the edge.

"You're so weak that you can't even take a punch; what a pathetic race." Garv said disappointed. Rayne gasped for air, gripping his hand with both of hers, trying to pry it off. The Meekrob just chuckled at her pitiful attempts. He released her and she fell only to grab on to the edge just in time, but the danger wasn't over. As she tried to pull herself back up, Garv growled in annoyance and kicked one of her hands off the ledge, leaving her hanging there by one hand. All she could do now was hold on for dear life.

"Don't!" Dib yelled out. Garv was about to kick her last hand when Zim used his spider legs to jump onto his back and slam the Meekrob's head into the rail. Garv grunted in anger and grabbed Zim's hand and flipped Zim over onto the ground, pinning him down.

"Nice try, but all for nothing." He laughed as he gripped around Zim's throat, attempting to choke the life out of him. Zim struggled but couldn't get out of his strong grip. _I can't let this happen, I can't die! I have to save Rayne! _In his panic, Zim felt a strange electrical current course through his body. After a few seconds he realized that it was coming from his PAK; Project Z1 was finally activating. He could feel it as his strength began to increase, allowing him to pry Garv's hand off of him. Catching him off guard, Zim slipped his leg between them and kicked Garv off of him, sending him flying. He landed right on top of the two guards with a large 'thud'. Zim quickly turned and grabbed Rayne's wrist and hoisted her back up onto the platform.

"Are you alright?" Zim's words full of worry.

"I'm fine." Rayne smiled back still clutching her stomach from the painful throbbing. They both looked up when they heard laughing from the Meekrob Lieutenant as he rose to his feet along with the two soldiers.

"I have never seen such strength from an _Irken_ before." He motioned for his soldiers to block off Dib and Gaz once more. His gaze fell on Rayne.

"I guess I'll get back to killing you after I deal with him." He stated while pointing to Zim. Zim stepped between Rayne and Garv.

"Touch her again and I will tear you apart!" Zim hissed. Garv looked at him questionably before being struck with a revelation.

"You seem to be quite attached to that one." He chuckled. Zim shot him a death glare.

"Let's see just how far you'll go to protect that loathsome creature." He charged at Zim as did Zim. Pulling out his spider legs, Zim leapt over Garv and landed behind him before sweeping his foot under the large Meekrob's legs. He knocked Garv's legs out from under him and he landed on his back. Zim brought his spider leg up and was about to stab Garv but the Lieutenant was able to catch the mechanical appendage and snap it in two. Zim jumped back before Garv could grab anything else and the Meekrob got back up on his feet, throwing the broken piece of metal to the side. Zim looked at the broken leg and then glared back at Garv, ready for another attack. He heard Rayne gasp and he saw her looking at his PAK out of the corner of his eye. The broken spider leg was glowing blue at the end and was somehow reconstructing itself piece by piece until it was once again whole. Zim was amazed at what had just occurred. _Wow, this devise is more amazing then I thought._ He thought.

"Impossible!" Garv shouted, his elongated mouth curling up in fury. He quickly grabbed something from his belt and aimed it at Zim; it was a blaster. He shot it at the Irken but Zim was able to activate his shield just in time for the blast to bounce off, thankful that the blue bubble that surrounded him was standard equipment for all invaders. The Meekrob roared in anger and continued to shoot at the bubble out of frustration. After a few more shots, Zim saw Garv's eyes glance over at Rayne before he aimed the gun at her.

"Rayne, get down!" Zim yelled. Rayne ducked down as the Meekrob shot at her, missing by mere inches. He shot again before she was able to move and she knew that this time it would hit her. Everything seemed like it was in slow motion as she watched Zim jump in the way and activate his shield once again, blocking the shot. In a flash, Zim pulled out his own blaster and shot at the Meekrob, shooting the gun out of his hand. The gun fell to the floor in pieces and the Lieutenant roared in rage. He charged at the two but Zim was able to push Rayne out of the way just in time before the Meekrob slammed into him and they went flying over the edge.

"ZIM!" Rayne cried out. Zim activated his PAK's rocket boosters to propel himself and Garv over to the platform in front of one of the computer panels. Zim landed on his back with Garv once again on top of him, only this time he pulled out a knife and tried to stab the Irken. Zim was able to catch his wrist and they were now both struggling to gain the upper hand. Dib and Gaz couldn't take it anymore. They both attacked the two guards blocking their way while the two were distracted by the fight between Zim and their commanding officer. They were able to jump onto the guards' backs and slam their heads into each other with a loud 'crack'. As the Meekrobs both fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, Dib and Gaz both ran over to Rayne.

"We have to help him." Rayne stated as she ran over to the stairs only to find that the bridge that led to them was retracted to the other side. She looked around and spotted the controls to extent the bridge.

"Dib, help me figure out how to extend the bridge." She said in a demanding voice. She watched as Zim was starting to have trouble holding the knife away from him. Even with his newly acquired strength, the Meekrob had Zim's legs pinned down and also was putting all his weight down on the knife. Also, while on his back, Zim couldn't access his PAK which left him with almost no means of escape.

"It looks like we would need a security code to extend the bridge." Dib said regretfully.

"So what do we do?" Rayne asked in a panic.

"I've got an idea." Gaz announced as she pulled out her gun.

"Gaz, are you nuts? He can't be killed by a blaster unless his armor if off. Besides, at this distance, you might hit Zim." Dib argued.

"Not if I can distract him long enough for Zim to counter attack." Gaz retorted as she took aim at the Meekrob. She was about to fire when one of the guards crawled over to them, grabbed her leg and pulled her down, causing Gaz to drop her gun over the ledge. She turned and kicked him in the head as hard as she could and, amazingly, knocked him out, but the soldier still had a grip on her leg. Dib helped her try to pry it off as Rayne looked over to Zim. _He doesn't have much time._ She grabbed her gun and took careful aim, praying that it would work.

"Any last words, Irken trash?" Garv laughed as Zim's grip started to slip. Before Zim's grip completely failed, a shot rang out and it hit Garv in the head, whipping it to the side. Garv's grip waned for a spit second, giving Zim enough slack to redirect the knife away from him and hit the floor instead. Before Garv could recover, Zim punched him in the face, sending him backwards and freeing him.

"Damn you!" The Meekrob yelled; his face was now slightly burned on the side. As he tried to kick at him, Zim caught his leg and hurled him up and over his shoulder. Garv landed right into the power core and screamed and his body shook violently as sparks of electricity shot in every direction. The computers started to spark and explode and a flashing red light filled the area.

"Warning: System failure." A voice rang out. "Warning: System failure. Power core now reaching critical status. Evacuate immediately. Ship destruction in t-minus seven minutes."

"We have to get out of here, now!" Dib yelled out. Zim nodded and used his jet pack to jump across to the other side and they all started to run out of the room, still hearing Garv's painful screams.

"Where is that other guard?" Rayne asked, noticing that one of the guards was missing.

"Who cares, we need to get out of here." Dib said. The floor started to tremble as they heard loud explosions coming from all over the ship.

"Warning: Ship destruction in t-minus six minutes." The voice warned.

"Let's go!" Gaz yelled as they ran out of the room and down the hall, not caring if anyone saw them. Luckily, the escape pods were not on the side of the ship that the Voot was on so they didn't run into anyone. Zim pulled out his communicator and it revealed Gir sitting in the pilot seat of the ship, spinning in circles.

"GIR, prepare the Voot for immediate departure!" He ordered.

"Yes sir." Gir saluted and Zim cut the transmission.

"Warning: Ship destruction in t-minus four minutes." The red lights blared as the alarm sounded loudly through the halls. The four quickened the pace as they made it to the hatch they entered through.

"Everyone inside!" Zim ordered and had everyone jump in before him as he closed the hatch to the Voot. He rushed to the controls as the ship roared to life.

"This is going to be close." Dib said. Zim steered the Voot away from the ship as they saw explosions come from the inside of the command vessel. Zim immediately opened up a transmission.

"All Irken crafts in the vicinity of the Meekrob command ship are to withdraw from area immediately." He announced. Rayne looked out the window and saw the Irken ships that they passed were turning around and retreating from the Meekrob ship to a safer distance.

"Everyone hold on to something!" As soon as Zim told them that, the command ship exploded and the Voot started to shake violently from the shockwave of the blast. After what seemed like hours, all was quiet. Rayne got out of her seat and ran over to Zim and hugged him around the neck.

"We did it!" She announced. Zim smiled up at her and opened another transmission, revealing the two Irken leaders.

"My Tallest, mission successful." He saluted proudly.


	24. A little R&R

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything. **

**Wow, I can't believe I'm on chapter 24. I thought I would have gotten writers block at chapter 14. Instead, I got more ideas the more I wrote. I guess that's good news for you guys. **

**PLEASE READ: Sorry for the wait but I have a great idea in mind to make up for it. I want people to give me ideas of different abilities that Project Z1 possesses. Send reviews on any ideas you guys have and I will put in the ones that I like. That is all and as always ENJOY.**

**Oh and MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**Chapter 24**

Everyone was back on the Massive; the Meekrobs had retreated after the destruction of the command ship. Zim and the others were greeted with cheers and applause as they made their way to the Tallest.

"We commend you on a job well done, Zim." Red complemented.

"Thank you, my Tallest." Zim bowed.

"Come, we have matters to discuss." Red ordered as him and Purple lead the group to somewhere more private. They ended up back on the Bridge and they closed the door, making sure to lock it this time.

"So, Zim, in your transmission you mentioned that there was a setback on the mission. What exactly happened out there?" Red asked.

"Yes, apparently the Meekrob-filth was aware of our presence so we had no choice but to fight." Zim explained.

"So how many did you end up fighting?" Purple asked.

"That's the strange thing. We only had to fight three." Zim clarified. The Tallest looked shocked.

"There were two guards and a Meekrob by the name of Lieutenant Garv that came after us." Dib interrupted.

"Lieutenant Garv?" Red asked.

"Yeah, do you know him?" Rayne asked.

"It explains why so few were sent. Garv is the second in command to the whole Meekrob fleet. They probably figured he would be enough to handle a few soldiers that infiltrated the ship." Red explained.

"How do you know this?" Dib asked.

"I had the displeasure of meeting him while I was held captive and let's just say it wasn't a very friendly introduction." Red explained, cringing at the thought.

"Well, I think you mean he _was_ the second in command." Gaz smirked.

"What do you mean?" Purple asked.

"Zim threw him into the power core which caused the ship to explode." Dib explained calmly as if he was talking about the weather. Rayne and Gaz couldn't help but chuckle at Dib's tone. The Tallest's eyes widened and they looked at Zim.

"Well, that's…creative." Purple said, still in shock.

"How did you manage that?" Red asked.

"During the fight Project Z1 activated." Zim explained.

"So what upgrades did you gain so far?" Red asked intrigued.

"He gained super strength and his spider legs grew back." Dib blurted out excitedly. The Tallest looked at Dib, confused.

"What he means is that Zim's strength increased and when Garv ripped off one of his PAK's mechanical legs, it regenerated itself." Rayne explained and the Tallest nodded in understanding and looked back at Zim.

"Fascinating." Red grinned. "We were told that the devise was an adaptable upgrade. That it adapts to different situations in combat. I see now what the Control Brain meant. We can't wait to know what else you are now capable of, Zim." Red said, sounding very eager.

"So what is the plan now, my Tallest?" Zim asked.

"After that battle the Meekrobs probably have to regroup. So now we wait for our reinforcements before coming up with a battle plan. For now, you should all go rest and wait for our instructions." Red said as he unlocked the door and dismissed the group.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back on Judgmentia…**

"Sir, we estimate about four thousand made it off the command ship in time. Lieutenant Garv was not among them." The Meekrob soldier announced.

"Lieutenant Grav was a cocky fool. His demise was proof of that." The Meekrob commander explained as he rubbed his head.

"Commander Jax, there's a soldier that claims to have important information for you." Another soldier stated as he rushed into the room and kneeled in front of his commanding officer.

"Bring him in." Jax said calmly. The soldier was brought in and Jax recognized him as one of Garv's personal guards.

"What do you have for me, soldier?" Jax commanded.

"I have information on the intruders that infiltrated the command ship, sir." Jax waved his hand for him to continue.

"There was one Irken invader and three others that I believe are humans from Earth; according to the Irken data banks." He said.

"Is that all?" Jax asked sounding bored.

"No sir. The Irken was the one that defeated Lieutenant Garv. He possessed abilities I have never seen an Irken possess before." This caught the commander's attention.

"What do you mean by 'abilities'." Jax asked.

"His strength was equal if not greater than our own and his PAK's damaged equipment was repaired almost instantly." The soldier explained.

"He must be the Irken that _he_ spoke of." Jax thought out loud.

"His name is Zim." Jax turned around to face the figure that spoke.

"What are _you _doing here?" Jax growled.

"I just wanted to make sure that everything was going according to plan." The figure told him.

"This is your fault; you let them get away with Red." Jax roared.

"It was the only way to gain access to the devise." The being spoke calmly.

"So this 'Zim' is in possession of Project Z1? I thought you said that you would get it before someone else did." Jax said angrily.

"I assure you, I was unaware of Zim's involvement with the project and his appearance was indeed a minor setback but I doubt that retrieving the project from that defect should be much of a challenge." He explained.

"Not much of a challenge? He already took out my Lieutenant!" Jax yelled.

"Garv was an incompetent buffoon and his death, though regrettable, came as no surprise." The figure stated coolly before turning his back to Jax. "I'm sure you'll find the means to take him out easily. I'll be in touch." And with that the figure left.

"I am beginning to really dislike him; even if we made that deal." Jax growled to himself.

"Sir, I have one more piece of information that I forgot to mention." The soldier said.

"What is it?" Jax asked irritably.

"During the fight, Zim seemed very protective of one of the humans; a female that they called 'Rayne'." He finished. Jax thought for a moment and let out a wicked laugh.

"I think this just made our job much easier." Jax laughed.

* * *

Zim led the others to the crew barracks so they could rest up. The room that they entered was small and it only had a T.V., a fridge, a small maroon chair and a large red couch. Since Irkens didn't sleep there was no bed in the room and the walls were a solid dark red. Gir ran over to the couch and grabbed the remote, somehow managing to pick up a signal that revealed an Earth station. Rayne shook her head and laughed at the little robot as Dib went to go sit next to Gir. Gaz just shrugged, walked over to the chair and pulled her Game Slave out of her pocket.

"I see this room is taken so Zim and I will be in the room next door." Rayne laughed.

"Don't get into too much trouble." Gaz teased. Thankfully only Rayne seemed to catch the meaning behind the comment. Rayne gave Gaz a lewd expression before walking out the door with Zim on her heels.

"Hey Rayne, I never got the chance to express my gratitude for saving Zim back on the ship." Zim said.

"Don't thank me, it was Gaz's idea." Rayne replied as she opened the door to the next room.

"But still." Zim said. Rayne turned around and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I think I should be the one thanking you for saving me." Rayne smiled.

"Zim is willing to call it even." He stated. Rayne laughed before backing up and sitting on the couch.

"So what do you think is going to happen now?" She asked.

"I don't know. We'll have to wait for the reinforcements to arrive before anything else." Zim answered as he sat down next to Rayne. Rayne leaned against Zim and yawned.

"When was the last time you got any sleep?" Zim asked.

"I don't know; since we got to the Massive, I think. I did rest a bit before the last battle." Rayne answered.

"I think you should get some rest. Zim knows what happens to you humans if you don't get any sleep." He laid her head down and went to the closet near the door and fished out a black blanket for her. It took only a few minutes before she was out cold. Zim smiled at how peaceful she looked and kissed her on the forehead.

"I guess I should go check on the others." Zim muttered to himself. He walked next door to find everyone in the room sound asleep; even Gir. _I figured as much. _Zim thought. After pondering for a while, he decided to see what the other invaders were up to. He found most of them in the mess hall snacking on nachos and other snacks.

"Hey, Zim!" Scoodge beckoned and Zim walked over to where he was sitting.

"How are you doing? Oh and congratulations on taking out that command ship. Was it difficult? Is it true that you took out one of their officers?" He asked. Zim gave him a confused look, not knowing what to respond to first.

"Where are your Earth friends?" He asked looking around and not spotting the humans.

"They are all resting in the barracks." Zim quickly answered before Scoodge could utter another question. Scoodge examined Zim, seeing him up close for the first time, and he was shocked.

"Zim, how did you get so tall? How tall are you?" He asked.

"About five foot ten." Zim replied.

"Wow. The last time I saw you, you were shorter than me." Scoodge said in awe. Scoodge himself had grown to an impressive five foot six but was still nowhere near Zim's height.

"So, just between you and me, why did you bring those humans along in the first place?" He asked.

"They wanted a peace treaty." Zim said. Scoodge looked at him skeptically.

"I get the feeling that you aren't telling me something. Come on you can tell your old friend Scoodge, right?" He smiled.

"I uh…it's a long story." Zim said, rubbing his head nervously. Scoodge crossed his arms and waited for Zim to explain. Zim sighed in defeat.

"Alright, but I don't want anyone to know about it just yet." Zim whispered.

"You can trust me." Scoodge said. Zim knew Scoodge wouldn't tell; he had known Scoodge since they were smeets and even then Scoodge was one of the more trustworthy Irkens.

"You know the human female, Rayne?" Zim started.

"You mean that scary girl?" Scoodge asked.

"No, that's Gaz. I mean the other one; the taller female." Zim clarified. Scoodge nodded, remembering seeing her in the docking bay.

"Well, you see, she is sort of…Zim's mate." Zim whispered.

"She's your WHAT?" Scoodge yelled in surprised. Zim covered his mouth to silence him.

"Be quiet. Zim doesn't need everyone on the Massive to hear you." Zim hissed.

"Do the Tallest know?" Scoodge asked, sounding a little worried. He knew the law and didn't want Zim to be imprisoned for another one of his blunders.

"Yes, they are already aware and they already approved." Zim explained.

"That's surprising. I wonder why they approved." He pondered. "Anyway, I'm also surprised she even accepted. Even if she's human she still seems way out of your league." He laughed. Zim just glared at Scoodge.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that Zim is unworthy of his mate." Zim fumed.

"No, I'm just saying that she is very attractive, for a human; and that you're lucky to have found a mate. I congratulate you." Scoodge said honestly.

"Thanks…I guess." Zim said.

"So when are you planning to announce it? I mean, I doubt you've actually gone through the ceremony yet." Scoodge questioned.

"I was going to announce it after we defeated the Meekrobs. As for the ceremony, we haven't decided yet." Zim answered.

"You sound so confident that we are going to win this war." Scoodge laughed.

"We are the proud Irken race. We will not fall to the likes of the Meekrob filth!" Zim yelled.

"I hope you're right, Zim." Scoodge chuckled. If only they knew just how dangerous things were going to get.


	25. Important

**Hey everyone, sorry it is taking so long for me to upload more chapters but nobody has seemed to have read my notice in the previous chapter.**

"**PLEASE READ: Sorry for the wait but I have a great idea in mind to make up for it. I want people to give me ideas of different abilities that Project Z1 possesses. Send reviews on any ideas you guys have and I will put in the ones that I like."**

**If I can get at least five or six ideas then I will continue with the story. I also wanted to thank all of those who have reviewed my story so far. This is my first story ever and I'm very grateful that people actually like my work.**

**I don't own IZ.**


	26. Suspicions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I am finally posting a chapter. Sorry for the wait and thank you for the ideas that you guys sent. I will be using a couple in the story so keep an eye out and as always…ENJOY!**

**Chapter 25**

Rayne woke up and noticed that Zim was gone. _How long was I out?_ She pondered as she slowly stood up and left the room. She knocked on the door of the room Gaz and Dib were staying in.

"Hey guys, are you in there?" She called out.

"Yeah, come on in." Dib answered and Rayne entered. Dib was still on the couch with Gir and Gaz was still sitting in the chair.

"What have you guys been up to?" Rayne asked as she lifted up Gir and sat down, placing him on her lap as he giggled.

"We slept for a few hours and watched some T.V. but other than that, nothing." Dib said as he turned to face her.

"How long was I out?" Rayne asked trying to shake the tired sensation she still felt.

"I don't know. Did you fall asleep right away?" Rayne nodded.

"Than about seven hours." Gaz interrupted.

"That's not too bad." Rayne looked around the room but didn't see Zim here either.

"Do you know where Zim went?" Dib just shook his head.

"He came in earlier with some of our food from the ship but other than that we haven't seen him." Gaz answered while pointing to the fridge. Rayne stood up, placing Gir back on the couch, and walked over to the fridge, grabbing a strawberry yogurt. She hadn't eaten anything for a while.

"I wonder where he could be." Rayne opened her yogurt and practically inhaled it.

"Take your time why don't you." Gaz quipped. Rayne ignored her and set the empty container on the table next to the couch.

"Maybe I should go look for him." Before getting a response, she headed for the door.

"You worry about him too much. He probably had to talk to his leaders about some battle plans or something." Dib commented.

"I know, but still." Rayne opened the door and walked out. She made her way down the hall, grateful that she actually paid attention to the route they took to get there. Every once in a while she would pass an Irken but they didn't seem to pay her much mind. Arriving in what looked like a cafeteria she looked around at all the different faces but didn't recognize any of them.

"Lost something?" Rayne spun around and saw a portly Irken standing in front of her.

"Oh, hello. You're Scoodge, right?" She asked remembering seeing him before.

"That's right. You must be Rayne. Are you looking for Zim?" He asked. Rayne nodded.

"I think he is working on his Voot." He explained.

"Okay, thank you." She smiled.

"Don't mention it." Scoodge smiled back sweetly. Rayne left Scoodge in search of the docking bay, which wasn't hard to find. Sure enough, she spotted Zim tinkering with the ship.

"What are you doing?" Rayne asked making Zim jump and fall off the Voot, landing on the floor with a 'thud'.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" She hurried to his side.

"No, I just…slipped." Zim lied. Rayne just rolled her eyes and helped him up.

"So what were you doing?"

"I was just making some minor repairs to pass the time." Zim explained.

"Wow, I didn't realize how boring it was around here." Rayne joked. Zim just glared and Rayne laughed.

"For your information, there is plenty to occupy our time. Zim just needed to fix the Voot." He said wryly. Rayne just giggled before changing the subject.

"When do you think the reinforcements will get here?"

"Not for another day or so." Zim answered as he put his tools away.

"Is this all you were doing while I was asleep?" Rayne asked.

"No, Zim also talked to Scoodge for a while and we were, as you humans call it, 'catching up'."

"I met him on the way here, he seems nice." Rayne commented.

"He's been like that as long as I've known him." Zim nodded.

"How long have you known him?"

"Since we were smeets."

"Oh, okay."

"Where are Gaz and Dib-stink?" Zim asked randomly.

"Back in their room with Gir." Rayne answered. Zim just nodded in acknowledgement. He didn't want them running around and causing trouble; especially Dib. He may be his ally now but he didn't want the human poking his nose in where it didn't belong.

"We should probably see if the Tallest have anything for us to do." Zim said and Rayne followed him out of the hanger. They passed the cafeteria and Scoodge ran to catch up to them.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked.

"Nothing really." Rayne answered.

"Yeah, it's starting to get kind of boring here. So where are the two of you headed?" He asked.

"We were going to go talk to the Tallest." Zim answered. Scoodge nodded then looked like he was in thought.

"Is something wrong, Scoodge?" Rayne asked.

"It's just that something has been bugging me. Do you guys get the feeling that the Tallest are hiding something? I mean, what were they doing all the way out here in the first place?" Scoodge asked. Zim stiffened at the question.

"Nope, Zim doesn't think their hiding anything at all." Zim said quickly.

"I don't know. Something doesn't seem right; I can feel it in my squeedly spooch." Scoodge said. Rayne stifled a laugh at the weirdly named organ but composed herself when she saw just how nervous Zim was getting.

"Does anyone else think there is something strange going on?" Rayne asked.

"Almost everyone does." Scoodge said.

"I have also heard rumors that the Tallest have been spending a lot of time talking to you guys." Scoodge said, referring to their group.

"I think your imagining things." Zim remarked. Scoodge gave Zim a suspicious look.

"I think you know something, Zim. You guys _did_ get here first. You couldn't have possible thought it wasn't strange that the Tallest were going to Judgmentia without any of us knowing and the Meekrobs so happen to attack at that exact time." Scoodge accused. What could they say; Rayne knew that they were caught.

"I-it's nothing to be concerned about. They were just going to receive counsel from the Control Brain." Zim said.

"What kind of counsel?" He pushed.

"How should Zim know?" Zim said, averting his eyes.

"Zim!" Scoodge said in warning, calling his bluff.

"It's between the Tallest and us." Zim motioned towards Rayne and himself.

"Then let's see if the Tallest are willing to share?" Scoodge insisted and he led them to the Bridge.

Scoodge entered first followed by Zim and Rayne.

"Zim, what brings you here?" Purple asked. Scoodge gave Zim a look and Zim sighed.

"My Tallest, it would seem that the others are getting suspicious about everything." Zim said.

"And Invader Scoodge is here because..." Red said wanting someone to finish for him. Scoodge stepped forward and bowed.

"Forgive me my Tallest, but we all get the feeling that you are hiding something from us and we all know that Zim is in on it." He explained. Red and Purple exchanged worried looks before facing the pudgy invader again.

"Invader Scoodge, we assure you that you needn't worry about it." Red said.

"With all due respect my Tallest, we just want to know why it is such a big secret and why only Zim knows." Scoodge countered. The Tallest looked over to Zim and Rayne, unsure if they should tell Scoodge about what was really going on.

"Alright, Invader Scoodge. But the only reason we are telling you anything is because you have proven to us that you are a first-class leader in the last few battles and that you are loyal to the empire." Red said.

"But we must ask you not to reveal what we are about to tell you to the other invaders, understand?" Purple added. Scoodge nodded.

"Feel honored, only the most trustworthy Irkens are given the privilege of knowing about what we are going to tell you." Red said.

* * *

The Tallest told Scoodge everything; from Project Z1 to the suspected spy.

"So that is why all of this is a big secret." Scoodge said still a little shocked at what he had just heard.

"That is correct." Red agreed.

"So how come the humans know about all of this?" Scoodge asked.

"Well, as Zim's mate Rayne has the right to know. As for the others, they found out by accident." Red explained.

"You mean they were spying." Rayne mumbled and only Zim and Scoodge heard her. Now if you three would excuse us, we need to make preparations before the reinforcements arrive." Red said, dismissing them.

"Wait. What do I tell the others?" Scoodge asked.

"Just tell them that we went to receive counseling because we heard there was a spy in the empire that was working for the Meekrobs." Purple answered. Scoodge nodded and the three left the room.

"It's still hard to believe all of this is actually true." Scoodge said.

"It was a huge shock for us when we first found out." Rayne chuckled.

"Well, I should go tell the others so the rumors will stop." Scoodge said.

"Alright, we'll see you later Scoodge." Rayne smiled and waved goodbye.

"Yeah, see you guys later." Scoodge waved back and headed off down the hall.

"We should tell Gaz and Dib-filth what happened." Zim said. Rayne nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Why is it that whenever we leave you two alone, you cause trouble?" Gaz commented.

"It wasn't our fault the Tallest didn't cover it up well enough." Zim pouted.

"Maybe it was because Zim sucks at keeping secrets." Dib smirked. Zim glared daggers at Dib.

"Shut your mouth, you infuriating Earth insect." Zim snapped.

"At least I don't look like an insect." Dib sneered.

"Girls, girls can we please act mature for a minute?" Gaz said. Rayne laughed at Gaz's comment only to receive glares from both the boys.

"Hey, she was the one that said it, not me." Rayne waved her hands in front of her defensively.

"You're all standing on the ceiling." Gir laugh. Rayne turned to see the little S.I.R. unit standing on his head on the arm of the couch. Zim just shook his head and returned his attention to the others.

"God, it's so boring here. Can I take a look around? I mean, it's not every day that we're aboard an alien spacecraft." Dib pleaded.

"No, the last thing we need is you poking about and destroying any important equipment." Zim said bluntly.

"Yeah Dib, this isn't a field trip." Gaz grunted.

"We could at least walk around for a bit. What harm could that be?" Dib whined.

"With you, it might do a lot of harm." Gaz snickered.

"Can we at least do something?" Dib asked, ignoring Gaz's insult.

"You can socialize with the other Irkens." Rayne suggested.

"Why would I want to do that?" Dib asked, earning a dirty look from Zim.

"For one thing, it would be doing something. Another, it would be a good idea to get to know them since we are going to be allying with them after this." Rayne explained.

"Actually, that would be a good idea; and if he asks someone nicely, maybe they'll be willing to melt his head to a normal size." Zim added. Gaz started to laugh while Rayne punched Zim in the arm.

"My head's not big!" Dib yelled.

"He can at least meet Scoodge." Rayne said sternly to Zim, paying no attention to Dib's outburst.

"Fine." Zim mumbled.

"Gaz, you coming?" Rayne asked over her shoulder.

"Alright. It's either that or spend more quality time with Gir." She stated.

"CAN I COME?" Gir screamed, jumping into Rayne's arms. Rayne flinched a little when he hit her stomach but no one seemed to notice.

"Sure." Rayne smiled.

"Yaaay!" He cheered. The five headed out the door in search of the chubby Irken.


	27. Never Again

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Sorry for the delay. School and work are a killer but I will be writing again more frequently during winter break. I'm also writing a Pirates of the Caribbean story and will start posting it here soon. As always….ENJOY!**

**Chapter 26**

They found Scoodge walking out of the auditorium after the large group of invaders. _He must have finished explaining things to the others. _Rayne assumed. Scoodge spotted them and waved while making his way over to them.

"What's going on, Zim?" He asked, eyeing Gaz and Dib.

"We just wanted to introduce you to our friends." Rayne answered. Zim groaned lightly at the word 'friend' being associated with Dib.

"Oh, okay. I'm Scoodge; it's nice to meet you all." Scoodge said politely.

"I'm Dib and this is my sister, Gaz." Dib greeted back with a friendly smile.

"Hey." Gaz greeted dryly.

"HI!" Gir squirmed in Rayne's arms.

"Oh, you must be Zim's S.I.R. Unit. I've heard of you." Scoodge pointed out.

"Yeah, this is Gir." Zim explained nonchalantly as Gir started squealing.

"HI THERE!" He waved.

"I heard you had a slightly odd S.I.R. Unit, but I didn't think he was so..." He trailed off. Rayne guessed he didn't want to sound insulting.

"Different?" Rayne finished for him.

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way." Scoodge said while rubbing the back of his head, nervously. Gir smiled and waved his arms at the comment.

"So I heard that you humans are planning on signing a peace treaty with us." Scoodge explained.

"It would seem so. It would also seem that you know about all the details as well." Dib said, referring to Project Z1. Scoodge nodded.

"I never would have thought Zim was actually an offspring of the previous Tallest. Not to mention one of the few advantages we have in this war." His voice still sounded a little unsure of everything.

"Yeah, I have to agree with you there." Dib commented.

"Hey! Zim was always this amazing." Zim argued. Dib just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, in your dreams." Dib snickered. Rayne smacked Dib upside the head, holding onto Gir with one arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" He whined, holding the back of his head.

"Be nice." She scolded as if she was his mother. Gaz held back a laugh as Dib pouted in defeat.

"So how do you guys know Zim?" Scoodge asked, trying to change the subject.

"He was our 'classmate' in school for years." Dib used his hands to make quotations. Gaz just grunted.

"Unlike Dib and Gaz, I didn't meet him till almost two months ago." Rayne explained.

"Interesting, so how did you find out he wasn't human." Before Dib could speak of how obvious it was that Zim was an alien, Rayne interrupted.

"Dib and Gaz found out a long time ago. I found out because he was using me for one of his schemes." Rayne explained. Scoodge laughed at this.

"That must have been a shocking experience."

"You have no idea." Rayne glanced at Zim, who looked away and laughed nervously under her gaze. Scoodge chuckled before turning to Dib.

"So were you and Zim friends or something?" Dib's eyes widened.

"Of course not; he wa- or… is my mortal enemy!" Dib exclaimed, pointing at Zim. His face twisted in irritation at the mere thought.

"Oh, I just assumed you were since you teased each other all the time and are allies." Scoodge said defensively. Both Zim and Dib just growled at this.

"Oh come on Dib, admit it. Zim was the closest thing you ever had to a friend before Rayne came along." Gaz quipped.

"Are you kidding me, he tried to destroy me every chance he got!" Dib argued. Rayne smiled at how defensive Dib was getting and how totally pissed off Zim looked.

"Well, you tried to expose Zim every day." Zim countered.

"You were trying to destroy the Earth!" Dib yelled.

"Alright, enough with the yelling; your giving me a headache." Rayne groaned. Before either of them could say another word Scoodge's PAK started beeping and a screen appeared in front of him revealing Tallest Red.

"Scoodge, report to the Bridge immediately." He ordered; then the screen went blank.

"Sorry, I have to go. See you guys later." They all waved goodbye and Scoodge scampered off towards the Bridge.

"What was that about?" Dib pondered.

"They probably want to go over some battle strategies. He _is_ the leader of the strike teams now." Zim answered in an irritated voice from Dib's ignorance

"You're probably right." Rayne said.

"I WANT TO MAKE CUPCAKES!" Gir yelled out of the blue and thrashed around in Rayne's arms. Rayne winced slightly and almost dropped him but managed to keep a hold of the squirming robot. Zim noticed this and subtly narrowed his eyes a little in suspicion.

"So what now?" Gaz sighed as boredom seemed to set in once again.

"You guys can head back to the room. I'll be back later." Zim said sounding distracted. He had a vacant expression as if he was lost in thought.

"Where are you going?" Rayne asked, a little worried by his unreadable expression.

"I just remembered something that I need to do." He answered before turning around and, without another word, walked towards the docking bay. As he left Rayne could have sworn she saw a bit of concern show through his blank look.

"I wonder what he's up to." Dib said with a raised eyebrow.

"Who cares, we'll find out later. Let's head back to the room." Gaz motioned and started down the hallway opposite of the one that Zim just took. Dib started to follow her but realized that Rayne wasn't behind him.

"Rayne, are you coming?" Dib asked, seeing that she was still standing where she was. She snapped out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, um you guys go ahead." Rayne said sounding distracted. Dib shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, we'll see you later." Dib turned and left with Gaz.

"Pretty lady gonna find Master?" Gir asked softly. Rayne set Gir down on the floor.

"How about you go with Dib and Gaz for a while." Rayne suggested.

"Okie dokie." He squeaked and ran off after Dib and Gaz. _I wonder what Zim is up to. _She wandered off down the hall to search for Zim.

* * *

Rayne search all over the docking bay but didn't find Zim. She asked around but everyone claimed that they haven't seen him. Rayne started to get a little worried. _Maybe I should have kept Gir with me to help find him_. She thought. Rayne looked up to see that she wandered down a random hallway. _Great, now I'm lost._ She searched around and found a small door at the end of the hall and she heard something coming from the other side. Curiosity got the better of her as she opened the door, revealing a small workshop area. There were workbenches everywhere and chunks of scrap metal of all shapes and sizes littered the corners of the room. But what really caught her attention was seeing Zim sitting at one of the workbenches at the far side of the room with his back facing her. He was leaning over what looked like blueprints but Rayne couldn't see what they were for.

"Zim?" Rayne said softly as she approached the Irken.

"I knew you would follow me." His tone was unreadable.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked.

"I needed somewhere quiet to work."

"On what?" Zim turned around and faced her for the first time since she arrived.

"I wanted to work on some plans that I made." He motioned to the blueprints. Rayne looked over the papers to see that it was a picture of some kind of battle suit.

"What's it for?" She asked.

"It's for the three of you. I have been doing some thinking since the last battle and I decided that you three are in need of more protection." Zim explained. "It can resist standard blaster shots and blunt force, among other things."

"Why are you making them now?" She thought out loud.

"I didn't have the time to make them until now. Otherwise Zim would have created them before we came here." Zim said regretfully. Rayne gave him a look full of concern.

"Zim, there is another reason that you decided to do this now. Is it because of what happened back on the command ship?" Zim didn't answer; he just looked at the floor.

"It's okay, Zim. Nothing-"

"It's not okay. You were almost killed." Zim growled, catching Rayne off guard.

"Zim, I'm fine."

"No you're not. You think you can fool Zim?" Zim said, raising his voice a little. He stood up, grabbed the bottom of Rayne's shirt and pulled it up slightly, revealing a large bruise on her stomach where she was hit. Rayne flinched in pain when Zim lightly touched the blackened flesh.

"I know you've been trying to hide the pain." He admitted. He was right; ever since the fight, Rayne was in almost constant pain and it was hard to move. Although the injury wasn't anything to fret about, Rayne didn't tell the others about the pain so they wouldn't worry. Above all, she didn't want to be a burden either.

"How long have you known?" Rayne asked.

"Since you started carrying Gir around. You looked like you were struggling to hold onto him. When Gir jumped into your arms Zim saw you flinch and struggle to hide the pain." He explained. _So he did notice_. She thought.

"Why didn't you tell Zim you were in pain?" He questioned sternly.

"I-I didn't want you guys to worry." She said averting her gaze.

"This was Zim's fault. I should have been able to protect you." He said sadly. "I never wanted something like this to happen to you…again." His claws gently traced the scar that was given to her by that murderer back on Earth. Rayne looked away, feeling ashamed for lying to everyone. Zim lowered her shirt and grasped her chin, making her face him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She whispered. Zim didn't say anything as his crimson eyes stared into hers. When his lips met hers, she felt all of the passion he put into it. Her eyes slid closed as she put just as much passion into the kiss. Zim gripped her hips and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. But as quickly as it started, Zim pulled away while still keeping her close to him in a gentle embrace.

"Don't worry me like that again." He whispered. Rayne nodded as she buried her face into his chest. It felt like hours before Zim finally released her. Rayne stayed for a few minutes as Zim worked on his plans before she left him to his work; giving him a quick kiss goodbye. As she closed the door she turned to find Scoodge leaning against the wall outside the door.

"Oh, hey Scoodge. Were you looking for Zim?" She asked wondering how long he had been standing there.

"Yes, but it can wait." He told her as he turned to leave but paused and looked over his shoulder. "I can't believe just how much Zim cares for you."

"So you heard all of that?" Rayne asked feeling a little embarrassed. He nodded.

"Yes and I'm sorry; I didn't mean to pry. But from what I heard, Zim would probably do anything to keep you safe." Rayne gave a small nod in agreement; she was aware of this already. Scoodge gave her a kind smile before turning around and started to walk away; but he spoke once more as he walked. "As a comrade of Zim's, I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep you and your friends safe as well." Rayne's eyes widened but before she could utter another word, Scoodge was gone.


	28. New toys

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I am so sorry for not updating for so long. I can't even begin to explain the multiple reasons for my abense so… I'm not going to. Instead let's continue. Oh and Rayne's name is pronounced like the word 'rain' to the fan that asked. Anyways, ENJOY!**

**Chapter 27**

It had been a couple days since Zim and Rayne's conversation in the workshop. The reinforcements finally arrived and all of the Irkens, including the Tallest, were there to greet them. Rayne was fascinated with how they each looked. There were more Irkens but there were also two other races. First were the Planet Jackers which were about the same height as Dib and Zim and were very muscular. They came in a variety of blues and greens and wore suits that both served as armor and, judging from the tubes that came out of the suit and into their mouths, life support. Their overall demeanor, however, was very cold and they all seemed to be impatient with the whole situation. It seemed they were not the type to sit around and wait for things to start. One even growled at Dib in warning for getting a closer look. The other race, on the other hand, was the Plookesians. Unlike the Planet Jackers, they were much friendlier and greeted everyone as if this was some kind of reunion. From what Rayne could make out, they were some kind of fleshy blob that resided inside mechanical exoskeletons. In all, the reinforcements consisted of over fifty individuals.

After their arrival, the Tallest proceeded in explaining all the necessary information that the reinforcements needed before they all dispersed to get themselves settled and ready for battle. It all took about an hour of two as far as Rayne could tell.

"Well this was pretty boring." Gaz groaned.

"Come on Gaz, how can you not be interested in seeing all these other alien species?" Dib whined.

Gaz shrugged her shoulders. "You see one you've seen them all." Rayne smiled at how blunt she was with her lack of interest and how appalled Dib was at it. Sighing, he gave up before looking around for something.

"Have you guys seen Zim? He wasn't here to greet the aliens."

"I think he is still in the workshop." Rayne answered.

"Again? Sheesh, what is it with him? For the last two days he has either been down there or out for his round of patrol." Rayne just shrugged.

"He's been working on our battle suits and the Tallest said that everyone needed to help with the scouting." She explained.

"Yeah but he's been at it for two days straight with no break. That's just stupid." Dib said.

Gaz suddenly turned and whacked him upside the head. "Ouch! What the hell, Gaz!"

"Would you shut up? You've been doing nothing but talking for the last two days and its starting to get on my nerves."

"You didn't have to hit me." He whined.

"Well she is right, and to be honest, it's staring to get on my nerves too." Rayne added. Dib just pouted in defeat.

"What is the Dib-thing whining about now?" Rayne turned to see Zim stroll over to them.

"Hey Zim." She smiled.

"Oh, Dib was just telling us how much he missed you?" Gaz smirked.

"I WAS NOT!" Dib boomed. Zim just gave him a questionable look as both Rayne and Gaz snickered in the background. He then looked around as if something was amiss.

"Where is Gir?" Everyone just shrugged.

"He has been disappearing and reappearing randomly for the last two days." Dib answered.

"So Zim, how are the suits coming along? You've only been working on them nonstop for two days." Zim glared at Gaz before answering.

"For your information, they are actually complete. I came up to get you three to test them out." He grinned sounding prideful.

"About time." Dib commented, earning himself a glare from the Irken.

"Anyway, follow me down to the testing room." Zim turned and proceeded to lead the others down a few corridors and into a very large room that looked like it was used for weapons testing, due to all the scorch marks all over the walls and ceiling as well as a few targets set up around the room. In the middle of the room was a large table with three sets of battle armor set upon it. One was large and was colored a light blue with some black as a secondary. Rayne guessed that that one was for Dib. The other two were smaller and one was a dark purple and black for Gaz while the other was a soft forest green with some navy blue for Rayne.

"Zim took the liberty of customizing each one. Be amazed!" He exclaimed proudly.

"They look pretty cool." Rayne commented as the three walked over and picked up their own armor. It was pretty light weight which was a surprise but Rayne figured it was so it would be easier to move in that way.

"How do you put it on?" Dib asked, examining every inch of the armor. Rayne held back a snicker when she saw Zim roll his eyes, walk over and hit a bottom on the chest of the armor. It shot out of Dibs hands and turned around before opening up and started to attach itself to Dib. Dib jumped and yelled out of surprise.

"WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT TO ME!" He yelled as the armor finally finished encasing his body. It fit pretty close to his body but was somewhat bulky in places like the chest plate and the shoulders as well as the thighs but it was still flexible enough to move comfortably.

"Stop being such a smeet, worm." Zim scolded while wearing one of his menacing grins on his face.

"Well, the good news with Dib going first is that we now know what to expect." Gaz quipped with a smirk.

"Shut up." Dib grumbled. Gaz and Rayne quickly followed suit and put their armor on.

"Sweet." Gaz smirked.

"So what can this armor do?" Rayne asked, examining herself. Zim walked over to Dib and pushed a hidden button on Dib's wrist revealing a small control pad.

"Not only can your armor resist blaster fire and physical attacks, it is also cut resistant and I have also equipped each of your armor with four additional tools." He explained pointing to the control pad. "Each button that Zim labeled in your human language activates each of the abilities. The first is the life support and helmet for breathing in space and the second is the rocket boosters."

"Wait, I don't see any controls for the boosters, how will we be able to control them?" Dib inquired.

"Do not interrupt the great ZIM'S explanation! Now, push the button and find out." Zim growled a little, annoyed of being interrupted. Dib pushed the second button and little boosters appeared on his shoulder blades and feet. They quickly activated and Dib found himself hovering above the ground. Dib struggled to keep balance for a moment before he became accustom to it.

"If you notice, Dib-stink, your body movements control them. If you lean forward, you will go faster. Lean back you will slow down and so on. Get it now?" Zim smirked and Dib glared.

"You don't need to have the attitude; I'm not some helpless child you know."

"Then stop acting like one." At this point, Rayne and Gaz couldn't help but laugh at Dib's expense.

"Stop laughing at me!" Dib pouted as he moved around to get a feel for the controls. Once satisfied, he pushed the button again to deactivate the boosters and land on the floor.

"Anyway, back to Zim's explanation." Zim said. "The third button is a laser that will fire out of your wrist. I believe you all can figure out multiple uses for that. Also the longer you hold the button, the longer the laser will fire." He turned to Gaz and motioned for her to try it out. Gaz looked towards one of the targets across the room and lifted her wrist. Pressing the button, a red laser burst out of the armor and hit the target dead on.

"Sweet." Gaz said menacingly before glancing at Dib.

"Don't even think about it, Gaz." Dib warned, eying her warily. Gaz just smirked, believing she got the point across before dropping her wrist.

"Last is the radar that will help you scan and map unfamiliar areas and see nearby enemies." Zim continued.

"That can be very useful, what is the range on the radars?" Gaz asked.

"Only about a twenty foot radius. Zim didn't want to lessen the power on the other equipment to boost the area anymore than needed." He explained.

"That's still pretty good." Rayne said.

"I want you all to wear these at all times." Zim looked over to Rayne as is emphasizing it to her.

"I guess it would be a good idea since the Meekrobs could attack at any time." Dib agreed. Everyone nodded.

"Hey what is this other button for?" Rayne asked, pointing to a fifth button. Zim turned to Dib and smiled.

"Forget it Zim, someone else can go first this time." Dib growled, crossing his arms in defiance.

"Cowardly Earth poultry." Zim mumbled.

"It's called a chicken and NO I'M NOT!" Dib responded.

"Would you two give it a rest, I'll do it." Rayne said before pushing the button. The armor suddenly began to retract itself starting at the feet and finally reached her right wrist were a large armband now sat.

"Ingenious, no. Sometimes I amaze even myself at my own brilliance." Zim gloated. Rayne can almost see his ego inflate even more, if possible. The siblings just rolled their eyes and also pushed the button on their armor and soon they were all back to normal with the armbands on their wrists.

"Alright, we will practice a bit later. For now, let us rejoin the others." Zim suggested. As they all started to head back they heard a loud screech.

"MASTER I MISSED YOU." They all turned in time to see Gir jump and attach himself to Zim's head, causing him to lose balance and go crashing to the floor.

"GIR, GET OFF OF ZIMS HEAD!" Gir let go, smiled and jumped into Rayne's arms. Dib started to giggle to himself, earning him a one way trip to the floor as Zim swiped his hand under Dib's legs and knocking him down. Then, to no surprise to anyone, the two started fighting with each other on the ground.

"You know, I kind of missed this." Gaz grinned. Rayne just shook her head and held Gir close to her. He squeaked happily in her arms as the boys continued their little squabble. As she stood there, Rayne suddenly started to feel kind of nauseous for some reason.

"I'll be right back; I need to get something from the room." She said, not wanting anyone to worry. Gaz just nodded and Rayne hurried towards their room. She put Gir down and went straight to the wash room. Feeling her nausea get worse she leaned over the sink and threw up everything that was in her stomach. After a couple more minutes Rayne stood up and rinsed out the sink. _I hope I'm not getting a bug or something._

"Is Pretty Lady, feeling bad? Do you need Master?" Gir asked, peeking his head around the corner. Rayne was sort of surprised at the little robots concern but ignored it for now.

"No Gir, I'm okay. How about you go and watch some T.V." She suggested. Gir hesitated for a moment before answering with a loud 'okay' before running out of the room. She sat down to rest for a moment before feeling her nausea return and ran right back to the sink to repeat the whole process over again.

* * *

"Do you remember what you need to do?" The Meekrob commander questioned sternly.

"Yes, Sir!" The soldiers responded.

"Good, now let us begin." He ordered, feeling very optimistic. "This will be the first step to insure our victory."


	29. How the tables have turned

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**Sorry for the wait, my best friend just got married and there was a lot to do. Also there is going to be a lot of Gaz in this chapter. Anyway back to the story…ENJOY!**

**Chapter 28**

Soon after Rayne left, Scoodge came over and told Zim that it was both of their turn to go on patrol again. Zim finally stopped fighting with Dib long enough to tell Scoodge that he would be their soon. As the pudgy invader nodded and walked off Zim looked around and saw that Rayne was missing.

"Where did Rayne go?"

"Well, while you two were goofing off, she told me that she needed to get something and would be right back." Gaz scoffed. Zim nodded and told the siblings to tell her where he went before rushing off after Scoodge to start his scouting shift.

"Well I'm bored." Dib stated.

"Explain to me why I should care. Wait, on second thought, don't explain anything. Just be quiet." Gaz replied. Dib whined at Gaz but she palpably ignored him.

"What did Rayne say she needed to get? Should we see if she needs help?" Dib asked.

"Rayne is perfectly capable of handling herself and doesn't need you to babysit her all the time. She'll meet back up with us when she's good and ready." Dib just rolled his eyes at his sister and started towards the cafeteria. Having nothing else to do, Gaz reluctantly followed. Once there Dib started to talk to the other aliens and annoying them with a bunch of questions. Neither surprised nor interested in what was being said, Gaz just sat down and pulled out her game slave. It was a while before she looked up to see Dib still bugging the other aliens and they started to look a little bothered. Sighing, she put her game slave away but before she could get up to drag him and his weirdness away, Gaz noticed Gir rush in and disappear around the snack counter.

"What is he doing?" Gaz asked herself. Gir rounded the corner again with a large stack of snacks balancing in his little arms and was wobbling back out the door, almost bumping into an Irken that just entered. Figuring that Dib should be fine on his own, she followed after the little robot and caught up to him in the hall.

"What are you doing, Gir?" She asked wondering why she even cared. She must have been more bored then she thought.

"Taking food to Pretty Lady to make her feel better." He squeaked without stopping. This confused Gaz for a moment.

"What's wrong with her?" Gir finally stopped and faced her with his usual grin on his face.

"She is sick. But don't tell, it's a seeeeecret. I'M GONNA MAKE CHEESE AND PICKLE PUDDING!" He then turned and continued down the hall. Trying not to imagine what concoction the little robot was going to make, she followed Gir to the room. _She must have been feeling bad and didn't want the guys to worry. Typical Rayne._ She entered the room to see Gir run and place everything on the counter before heading for the washroom. Gaz walked to the washroom to see Rayne sitting on the floor by the sink.

"Hey Rayne, you okay." Rayne looked up in surprised before trying to compose herself, thankful that she was starting to feel better.

"I'm fine, I just felt a little nauseous." She smiled. Gaz just rolled her eyes before she went over and put her hand on Rayne's forehead to check for a fever.

"You feel normal. Did you eat anything weird?" She asked, glancing at Gir who stood next to Rayne. Who knows what he would put in her food but Gaz was sure it would make anyone sick. Rayne shook her head.

"Just what we brought with us. But you guys have been eating the same thing and haven't got sick. Maybe it's just a bug. I've been feeling kind of tired lately and everything hurts as well but I figured that that was from all the fighting." Rayne explained. Gaz tried to think what else it could be before a crazy idea came to mind.

"How long has it been since we left earth?" Gaz asked.

"About two weeks, why?" Rayne asked. _That seems a little early but who knows, Zim is an alien after all._ Gaz thought.

"Rayne do you think it is possible that you're-"

"Warning: enemy ships in proximity." The alarm blared.

"Are you kidding me?" Gaz grunted.

"Gaz, where are the boys?" Rayne asked, sounding a little flustered.

"Dib was in the cafeteria, but Zim went with Scoodge on patrol." Rayne started to worry. _What if he gets hurt?_

"Let's go find Dib." Gaz said as she grabbed Rayne and pulled her along with Gir following close behind. Irkens and some others were running everywhere to get to their battle stations as the girls and Gir made their way towards the cafeteria. Before they could get there, Gaz heard a bang near the wall in front of them.

"Get down!" She yelled as she tackled Rayne to the floor just as the wall in front of them exploded.

"Breaches in sectors 2, 5, 6 and 13." The alarm announced. The girls stood in time to see four Meekrobs appear through the smoke and look straight at them. The one in front lifted his wrist before speaking into what Gaz guessed was a radio.

"Sir, target confirmed." He said.

"Good, your orders are to capture alive and unharmed." The radio answered back.

"Understood." The four soldiers then started to strut towards Rayne and Gaz.

"This way." Rayne yelled, grabbing Gaz and ran down a nearby hallway. Rayne didn't look back but she could hear heavy footfalls gaining on them. They just kept running until they turned a corner and slammed right into another Meekrob who, from the looks of it, just took out two of the Planet Jackers.

"Oh no." Rayne gasped. The Meekrob turned and saw the humans.

"There you are." He said. Rayne recognized the Meekrob soldier and, from the look on her face, Gaz did to. It was one of Lieutenant Garv's soldiers that they fought against back on the command ship. Gaz turned to see that the other Meekrobs had caught up and they were now surrounded. Backed up against the wall and having nowhere to go, Rayne reached down to realize she left her blaster back in the room. Remembering her battle suit, she was about to reach up to her wrist and activate it when the Meekrobs launched themselves at the two humans and restrained both of them. The two holding Rayne started to pull her away. Thinking fast, Gaz turned to Gir, who was also restrained. _This better not end with us vaporized as well._

"Gir, defensive mode!" Gaz yelled. Gir slipped out of the Meekrobs grip and his eyes turned red before a large amount of higher caliber guns appeared. Glad that he actually obeyed her, Gaz quickly stomped on the soldier's foot while he was watching the robot, causing him to release her and she jumped out of the way right when Gir started to shoot at the soldiers. It killed two of them, including the one that was restraining Gaz. Thankfully the blast did little damage to the ship itself, leaving only a large scorch mark on the wall and ceiling. Quickly, another Meekrob tried to grab her but she ducked and jabbed him in the jaw, sending him stumbling back.

"Let go of me!" Gaz looked over to see the other two Meekrobs continue to drag Rayne away as she kicked and struggled to get free. But before Gaz could rush to her aid, the Meekrob she hit recovered and blocked her. Gir, whose guns reseeded back into his head, giggled before running passed both of them after Rayne. The Meekrob reached to grab the little robot only to be kicked by Gaz who proceeded to jump on top of him and knock his head against the ground. Dazed from the blow, Gaz was able to rip off the front part of his armor before she was shoved backwards. The soldier stood up and was about to reach for his blaster before a shoot rang out and the Meekrob fell forward and crashed to the ground. Gaz turned around to see Dib running down the hall brandishing his own blaster and being followed by a few Irken and Plookesian soldiers.

"Gaz, are you alright?" Dib asked.

"You idiot, stop worrying about me and help me go after Rayne." Without explaining anything, Gaz ran ahead to try and catch up to Rayne and her captors. Dib and the other soldiers followed close behind as they turned a corner and saw the Meekrobs going through an emergency maintenance door in the wall that their ship was attached to with Rayne struggling in hand.

"They used the same way to get in as we did on their ship." Dib commented.

"Shit they are getting away." Gaz growled as she grabbed the gun from Dib and started firing at the soldiers, careful not to hit Rayne. She hit one in the head but it only stumbled a little before turning towards them with a burned face looking very angry.

"Why you little-" Before he could charge the other one yelled to him from inside the ship.

"Enough, forget about them, we got what we came for!" The Meekrob turned and gave the group one last glare before jumping into the ship as the doors started to close. Gaz and Dib ran towards the door but it shut before they could get down the hall and just like that the ship was gone.

"No no no. This is bad. They may kill her or worse." Dib panicked but received a smack to the face from Gaz.

"She'll be fine, they said that they got what they came for when they took her and earlier they said they needed her alive and unharmed."

"But why would they take Rayne? I mean she-" Dib paused for a moment when it suddenly hit him. "Oh no. They know about Zim, don't they?"

"We can probably thank that stupid Meekrobs soldier of Garv's for that." Gaz commented.

"He must have escaped and told the rest of them. This is bad, this is so bad." Dib started to panic again which Gaz gave him another smack for.

"Get a hold of yourself, stupid. We first need to find the others and tell them what happened."

"Wait, where is Gir? I saw him run passed you." Dib commented. They both froze and looked at the maintenance exit.

"You got to be kidding me." Dib sighed.

"He must have slipped on the ship with Rayne. I guess that's a good thing…maybe." Gaz thought.

"Great, who is going to tell Zim? This can't get any worse." Dib's words reminded Gaz of earlier and Gaz smacked her forehead.

"What's wrong, Gaz." Gaz turned to face her brother with the most serious look he has ever seen.

"I think that it may be much worse than you think."

* * *

"I said let go of me!" Rayne kicked and screamed as they dragged her onto the command ship.

"Knock off your struggling or I'll rip off your legs." One of the Meekrobs grumbled.

"Screw you!" She managed to kick the soldier in the shin causing him to roar in anger.

"I said knock it off." He lifted his hand, ready to smack her when another hand caught his wrist.

"And I said that she is not to be harmed. Now go run the bio scan on her. I want to make sure she isn't carrying anything dangerous." Rayne looked up to see a rather large Meekrob, about six foot four, was standing in front of her. He looked the same as any other Meekrob, only his skin was a bit darker and he was wearing golden armor. After a few moments of pondering, Rayne finally lit up in recognition. _He was the one that we saw interrogating Tallest Red._

"Yes Sir." The Meekrob answered as he released Rayne and walked over to a monitor that kind of reminded Rayne of a security checkpoint at the airport. Rayne looked back up at who she assumed was the leader only to find him examining her.

"Your species really does look weak." He cackled before grabbing her and pushing her into the scanner as a blue light started to run along her entire body.

"It makes me wonder why that Irken brat even keeps you around. I guess that will be his own undoing." Rayne knew that he was talking about Zim and she started to get mad.

"If you touch him, I swear I'll kill you." Rayne growled, not caring who she was threatening. The leader growled in return.

"Do you know who you are talking to, you pathetic waste of space? I am Commander Jax, leader of the Meekrob fleet and soon to be ruler of the universe." He bellowed before calming himself and then walked closer to Rayne to intimidate her.

"What do you want from me?" Rayne scowled.

"It is not so much you as it is your little Irken friend that I want; though you would make a perfect pet." Rayne's eyes widened, they knew about Zim. They were using her as bait. _I have to escape. I refuse to be such a burden on Zim._ Before another word was spoken, the computer started beeping.

"Commander, you may want to take a look at this." The soldier commented. Jax walked over to the screen and gazed over the Meekrob's shoulder.

"What is it?" The soldier pointed at the screen and the Commander's anteater like mouth curled up as he chuckled darkly to himself. Rayne started to get a little worried as Jax stared at her.

"It would seem I have just gained some more unexpected leverage." He walked over and grabbed Rayne by the arm and then placed his claws roughly on her stomach in a threatening way.

"You _will_ do everything that I say or you can say goodbye to your unborn child."


	30. Hostage

**Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own this story and if anything I write resembles anything that already exists, it is coincidence and I don't mean to copy anything.**

**I am very sorry for the wait. Shout out to Earth Star Demon, Unyielding Light and OmegaPhaedra for getting me off my busy/lazy butt to write another chapter. As a reward I have a longer chapter and a big reveal…Enjoy!**

**Chapter 29**

Dib's mouth dropped, he didn't know what to think at the new information.

"S-She's…she's pregnant!?" Gaz was right, it was much worse than they thought.

"I'm not entirely sure but she shows all the signs." Gaz explained. Dib couldn't believe it. Not only was Rayne in danger, but the possibility that she was with child; and Zim.

"Does Zim know?"

"I don't think Rayne even knew yet." Dib paused for a moment, his brain being a little slow at processing everything.

"HOW ARE WE GOING TO TELL ZIM!?" He panicked. Gaz just stepped forward and smacked her brother across the face without warning.

"Get a hold of yourself. And what is this 'we' stuff; you're the one that will be telling him." Gaz informed him.

"Me? Why me?" He whined.

"Because you were the one that was too busy screwing around with the aliens to have helped us prevent this whole mess in the first place!" Dib opened his mouth to retaliate but then closed it again, knowing she was right.

"Now let's go wait for Zim in the Cafeteria. You can think of what you are going to say there." With that, Gaz started making her way through the damaged hallway with Dib slowly following behind; his mind dreading the Irken's reaction when he told him the horrible news.

* * *

Zim was puzzled. As quickly as the Meekrobs arrived, they retreated. The only thing they managed to do was jam his transmissions. He flew back to the Massive and found some damage to the outside.

"Zim… Zim can you hear me?" A voice came over the intercom.

"Scoodge? Yes, I can hear you. What happened?"

"They cut our communications. It looks like the Massive may have been attacked as well." Scoodge informed him. Zim started to get concerned.

"How did they get passed us!?"

"I don't know, but we should report back immediately." Zim agreed with Scoodge and they both headed towards the docking bay. As soon as they landed, there were a few soldiers there to greet them.

"What happened?" Zim demanded.

"Some Meekrob ships snuck passed our defenses and boarded the Massive." The Irken replied.

"Where are the Tallest?" Scoodge immediately asked, wondering if that was what they were after.

"They are on the bridge. It seems the enemy never made it that far before they left. We are still unsure of what their objective was." Scoodge sighed audibly in relief but Zim was not comforted by that answer. Without a word, Zim pushed past the Irken and made his way out of the dock.

He opened up his com-link. "Gir, where are you?" There was no answer.

"Gir, answer me!" Still no answer so he tried again. "Rayne, are you there?" Zim started to get worried when there was no answer from her either. Thinking it may just be interference, he tried one more time to be sure.

"Dib, where are you guys?" There was a pause but finally Zim heard a familiar voice over the com-link.

"Zim? We are in the Cafeteria."

"Good, I'm on my way."

"Zim, wait there's something I-" Zim cut the transmission before he could finish. The human can tell him whatever it was when he got there. Quickening his pace, he headed for their location.

* * *

"Zim? Zim!? Dammit, he cut me off." Dib grumbled.

"He probably doesn't want to hear your annoying voice right now." Gaz smirked. Dib glared at her but said nothing. He stared around the room, trying to distract his thoughts, and saw more aliens gather in the room to regroup and nurse any wounds that they may have sustained. _There must not be enough room in the infirmary. _Dib thought.

"When you die, can I have your computer?" Gaz quipped.

"YOU ARE NOT HELPING, GAZ!" He screamed at his sister. But all she did was plant a huge smirk on her face.

"What is the Dib-thing yelling about now?" Dib almost didn't want to turn around but forced himself to face the Irken. Not caring if his question was answered, Zim looked around but couldn't spot Rayne or Gir anywhere. His stare intensified as his gaze fell back on Dib.

"Where is Rayne?" He growled. Dib started to sweat. Everything that he prepared himself to say went flying out the window. Zim started to get impatient with Dib's silence.

"Did you not hear Zim!? I asked where Rayne is!?" Zim's voice was starting to draw attention and that made Dib even more nervous.

"Why don't you boys talk in the hall? You're starting to cause a scene." Gaz pointed out. Dib stared in horror at his sister but before he could protest, Zim grabbed him by the collar and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Dib struggled as he saw Gaz smirk and wave as if saying goodbye. They rounded the corner and Zim shoved Dib to his feet before crossing his arms, waiting for him to start talking. Dib started to panic more as the Irken stared him down.

"You shall regret it if Zim has to ask again." He growled. Dib jumped at the threat.

"Well what happened was um… you see the ship was attacked and Rayne and Gaz were with Gir in the room and I was in the in the Cafeteria and they came so fast. I ran to where they were but they were gone so I followed and there were Meekrob and Irken bodies everywhere and-"

"TELL ZIM WHAT HAPPENED!" Zim yelled, getting annoyed with Dib's ranting.

"Rayne…Rayne was taken and Gir went missing." He whispered, but the shock on Zim's face told Dib that he had heard him just fine. After a few seconds, Zim's shocked expression quickly morphed into rage.

* * *

Gaz sat in the Cafeteria staring at the doorway wondering how things were going since she didn't hear any yelling yet. As she got up to see what was going on, she and everyone in the room froze when they heard a loud scream.

"WHAT?!" Zim's voice rang out right before Gaz witnessed Dib's body go flying upside down through the air passed the door and Zim stomping after him. Everyone in the room was silent after seeing what happened. Gaz looked around and rolled her eyes before slowly making her way to the door and towards the direction the two had disappeared.

When Gaz finally found them she was slightly amused by what she was seeing. Zim had somehow trapped Dib in an airlock and was standing next to the release button.

"Gaz, thank god. Get me out of here!" Dib panicked while banging on the door.

"Zim, what are you doing?" Gaz sighed.

"Contemplating whether I should release this troublesome human into space or not." Zim growled, obviously still angry by what he was told.

"Don't do it Zim, let's talk about this!" Dib hollered in complete terror.

"Do you think this is going to help get Rayne back?" Gaz asked. Zim thought for a moment before moving his hand closer to the button.

"No, but it is an attempt to make me feel better." Dib's eyes widened even more at Zim's words. Gaz just shook her head at this.

"As much as I would love to see his stupid big head explode in the vacuum of space, we still need him to help us get Rayne back." Gaz explained. There was a long pause before Zim finally opened the door and Dib stumbled back into the ship. Zim walked over to him and lifted him up by his collar.

"If she has been harmed in any way, I will split you're stupid head apart one molecule at a time." Zim threatened.

"Noted." Dib acknowledged before Zim released him and stomped over to the door.

"Come. We must speak to the Tallest about this." Without another word, he left the room.

Gaz turned toward Dib. "That went well." She smiled.

"Went well? I was almost jettisoned out into space!" He griped.

"Key word: almost." With that Gaz followed after Zim with Dib still complaining behind her.

They caught up to Zim as he marched through the halls in silence. The lack of noise from the Irken was unnatural and made Dib so uneasy that he jumped when Zim finally spoke.

"I should never have left. This can't possibly get any worse." He grumbled.

"Um Zim… we should probably tell you. Rayne is- OW!" Gaz smacked Dib before he could finish.

"Rayne is what?" Zim glared over his shoulder.

"Rayne is going to be fine and Gir is probably with her." Gaz answered. Zim just turned and kept walking without another word. As soon as he was out of hearing range Gaz grabbed Dib roughly by the collar.

"Unless you really want to know how it would feel to have your big head explode from lack of oxygen in space I suggest you keep your mouth shut." She warned.

"He needs to know at some point." Dib argued.

"Look, we don't know for sure and Zim doesn't need to be more worried or angry then he already is." She said pushing her brother back.

"HEY! You two can have your sibling spat later." Zim's voice boomed down the hall. The two caught up again just as Zim reached the bridge.

"Ah Zim. We were about to call for you." Tallest Purple commented but before the Tallest could get another word in Zim spoke up.

"They captured Rayne, Zim is requesting permission to send a team in to retrieve her." The Tallest looked at each other with surprise then, after a moment, looked back with sorrowful faces.

"I'm sorry Zim, but we cannot risk any men to go in after her." Tallest Purple answered. Zim was in shock and his body trembled in anger. "But My Tallest-!"

"We said no Zim. Besides, if capturing her was their goal then that means it is a trap laid specifically for you. We are sorry, truly we are, Zim…" Red said apologetically. "But we cannot risk losing Project Z1 for a human that knew the risks of allying with us. Please understand that, though regrettable, the human just is not as important to this war as you are, whether she is your mate or not." Red explained. Zim didn't know what to say, He couldn't imagine abandoning Rayne to suffer at the hands of the Meekrobs. Dib and even Gaz were at a loss for words as well.

"We will talk more on the matter later. Right now we have to discuss the matter of the Meekrobs being able to sneak aboard this ship." Purple interjected. Zim was about to argue more when they were interrupted.

"My Tallest. There is an incoming transmission from the Meekrob's lead ship." An Irken informed them.

"Patch it through." Red growled. The monitor rose up and there on the screen was the Meekrob in golden armor.

"Commander Jax, what do you want?" Purple spat. The Meekrob just laughed.

"I'm sorry, did I call at a bad time. How rude of me." He chuckled.

"Don't worry; your face is insult enough now state your business." Red sneered. Jax just huffed at this before continuing.

"Very well, but my business is not just with the two of you. Where is the Irken called 'Zim'?" The Tallest looked at each other, knowing where this was going. From the look on Zim's face, he did to. The Tallest motioned Zim forward.

"So you're Zim. Humph, I'm not impressed." Jax chuckled dryly. "I'm sure you are aware of why I'm calling."

"Where is she?" Zim spat, grinding his teeth and trying to stay calm, but Dib saw his hands shaking in rage. Jax looked off screen and nodded.

"LET GO OF ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Rayne was pulled into view by two guards. She was struggling and kicking all the while, managing to land a blow to one in the stomach before being subdued.

"As you can see, I have something you want." Jax laughed, his mouth curling into what they assumed was a smile.

"Rayne." Zim's eyes grew wide at the sight of her. She had a couple bruises on her arms from being grabbed so hard because of her fighting but otherwise, to Zim's relief, looked unharmed. She looked up at the sound of her name.

"Zim… Don't listen to them! Don't do anything they sa-!" There was a loud smack as Jax slapped her across the face, cutting her off. The force of the blow caused blood to leak from the corner of her mouth. Everyone gasped and Dib saw Gaz start to ball her fists in anger, wishing she could kill them all.

"Fiesty isn't she, for something so frail." Jax commented as he brought his hand back down.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER YOU UGLY SHIT!" Zim was furious and Jax smirked at how obvious the Irken was.

"How is it that an Irken could come to care so much for the species he intended to conquer? Pathetic." He spat.

"Enough of this." Red exclaimed. Jax looked at the Tallest, still smirking.

"Of course, let's get right down to it. I want Project Z1 delivered to me or this human will suffer a very painful death." He demanded. Before Zim could speak up the Tallest answered.

"There is no way we are going to agree to a trade like that." Purple commented.

"I thought you might say that." Jax then waved his hand and the guards brought Rayne closer as he drew his blaster. Rayne struggled as much as she could but froze when the barrel of the blaster was jammed into her stomach. Zim felt so helpless watching all of this and being unable to stop it. Jax looked back at Zim, smiling, and that only infuriated him more.

"Do as I say or not only will I kill this female but also the child she is carrying." Zim stiffened, taking in a sharp intake of breath. Dib's face paled and even Gaz looked worried. Zim's hands trembled as he tried to process what was just said.

"W-what?" He stuttered out. Rayne looked at him before looking away, almost in tears.

"Oh, so you didn't know. Well, let me be the first to congratulate you for your abomination." Zim couldn't answer. He couldn't even breathe. _Rayne is pregnant with my smeet? How can this be?_

Red was astonished by the news. Even Purple stood frozen in complete bewilderment. Red spoke slowly, seeing Zim's reaction, knowing that things just got a whole lot worse.

"What do you want with the project anyway? You can't use it." Red commented as the others slowly started to snap out of their shock.

"Oh it is not me that wants it but someone that will use it to help us take over all of your pathetic races." Jax stated as he grabbed Rayne by the chin. He was rewarded with Rayne spitting blood in his face.

"Why you worthless…" Jax drew back in anger and was about to strike as everyone looked on in horror when an unfamiliar voice rang out.

"That is quite enough Jax. There is no need to cause any further trauma to the girl." Jax turned and glared off screen. The voice was followed by a figure coming into view. Everyone gasped at the sight of an Irken. He was tall with paler green skin and glowing orange eyes. The Irken's features and stance screamed sophistication and superiority. It was an Irken that Zim did not recognize but judging from the gasps and looks of surprise and horror on Tallest Red and Purple's faces, they knew exactly who he was.

"It's been a long time." The Irken said smiling at the Irken leaders.

"This can't be. You're dead!" Purple exclaimed. The Irken just smiled.

"Who is this guy?" Dib whispered. The Irken heard Dib and looked around at all the confused faces, including Zim's.

"Zim, it's been a long time. I have to say, I never would have expected you of all Irkens to be the smeet of the previous Tallest. Although I don't believe anyone would have expected you to have a purpose at all." Zim glared at the obvious insult.

"Tell Zim who you are this instant!" Zim bellowed, losing his patience on the whole situation.

The strange Irken grinned. "Of course, how rude of me, let me introduce myself. I am Raz, former Advisor to the previous Tallest."


End file.
